Pact of Wanderlust
by Kholinar
Summary: [Elsanna - Established Relationship] The sisters leave for Corona to attend a meeting of the Allied Kingdoms. The two are connected in deeper ways than anyone can guess, and keeping a secret this big is never easy. Warning: Smut in later chapters.
1. Summons

**A/N: So I'm getting sick of fics that show Anna traipsing around the castle while Elsa does all the work. She might not be queen, but she still has responsibilities to the kingdom!**

**Either way, I wanted to start an actual story. I think I found some personal headcannon I can actually stick with, so here goes. There's gonna be a lot of fluff. And smut. I get sidetracked. I'd apologize, but everyone should enjoy it just as much as I do, so no complaining. Plus, dom Anna in incredibly fun to write!**

**Non-AU, Set 4 years after the movie.**

**I don't own these characters.**

_**"If we are always arriving and departing, it is also true that we are eternally anchored. One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things." - Henry Miller**_

* * *

Anna couldn't sleep.

It had been an issue, lately. With how tired she was, she should have passed out hours before. If she were being completely honest with herself, she would have had to admit that she was utterly _exhausted_. It wasn't her fault – not really. Her sister had finally managed to fine-tune her powers, and the woman was very happy to put them to good use.

The princess groaned at the thought. Who knew that there were so many uses for ice? She didn't think there was a single room in the castle that was sacred any longer. If your queen wants to accost you in a broom closet every time she sees you, you go along with it. You don't say no to your _queen_. An order's an order.

Not like she minded too terribly much. And so what if Anna was the one who sought out the contact more often than not? She had a figure to maintain, she could definitely use the exercise. Plus her sister wielded _magic_. Elsa honestly wasn't one to think outside the box when it came to her powers, but Anna had an incredibly active imagination.

And a lot of fetishes.

A _**lot**_.

Thank the gods her sister wasn't a prude. That would've made things complicated. This way things were much better. They were _fun_.

Plus, it was just so satisfying to push Elsa to the brink. She so intensely wanted to see her sister lose control, and she desperately wanted to be the _cause_. She wanted to see the look in her sister's eyes as her hands sung melodies across her body, as she played her like a finely tuned piano. She wanted to revel in the moment the older woman shuddered against her, breath frosting in the air, cracks of ice splintering across the ground. She relished the thought of Elsa, _her_ Elsa, throwing her head back and summoning her demons with screams of ecstasy, invoking the icy tempest. She wanted to release the storm inside her sister, to break her resolve like shards of glass. She wanted to set her _free_.

Oh yes.

It was good to have a dream.

In the meantime though, sleep would have been a great substitute.

She leaned back against the headboard of her bed, sighing in frustration. She stretched, her muscles rippling under smooth, naked skin. She pulled the blanket up to cover herself, then tried to close her eyes for a time, but her brain was in overdrive. There was no help for it. It was almost dawn, regardless. Elsa would have to be up soon, and they both had meetings to attend.

She looked down at the pale, naked mess of hair and skin and body snuggled up against her thigh and smiled deeply. Her sister had sleepily whined when she got up to grab a few folders off of her desk earlier, and as soon as she sat back down her leg was placed in a vice grip.

The older woman ended up curling around her entire leg to the point where it was starting to go numb. Anna just smiled softly and ran her hand through the pale blonde locks. She knew that Elsa was fiercely protective of her little sister, and Anna preferred it that way.

In this case, protective also meant possessive, but Anna beat out her sister in that department. In _spades_. Who didn't want to get with a queen? Hells, she certainly did. She figured that if the woman – her **sister -** was able to entice her, than everyone else in the kingdom didn't stand a chance. The queen's demeanor was riveting, she caught your eye and kept it. She could silence a room with a glance. Her presence was more than just the allure of her magic. She didn't just command her powers, she commanded _respect_.

And _fuck_ it was provocative.

She traced the outline of the faint freckles on her older sister's arm with her fingertips. It was just a light dusting along her collar and across her shoulders, unlike Anna's own. Hers covered just about everything. If there was a nook in her body, there was bound to be a cluster of the damned things. She thought hers were, frankly, ridiculous. But she had come to terms with her body long ago, and she was perfectly content with the figure she was given.

Her sister, though?

Elsa knew she was _attractive_. Only damn blonde in the family, thanks to her powers. She could wield her looks to her advantage. He confidence and demeanor were like a knife under your skin. To Anna, she was a goddess. She was completely devoted. Elsa was to be held in the highest reverence. She was to be idolized, worshiped.

Defiled.

She was never very good at being pious.

Elsa's entire body shuddered, her mind creeping awake to the ghostly touch of her sister's fingers. Anna smile softly down at the woman. "Rise and shine, beautiful."

Elsa shrugged her shoulder, forcing Anna's hand to the side. "Tickles. Stoppit."

The younger sister let out a breathy laugh, but obliged the command and weaved her fingers into the elder woman's messy hair. Elsa let out a small sigh of contentment.

"You really do have to get up. Sunrise is in a bit."

Elsa looked up from her comfy spot against her sister's leg and mumbled, "Why're you even awake?"

"Couldn't sleep."

She motioned to the papers along the other side of the bed. Elsa frowned. "Pretty sure that's my job." She yawned, looking over the folders. "Are those the Ljung correspondence letters?"

"Yeah, about that. Elsa... love. This deal they're offering is crap, and you know it. I don't know why you're taking it."

Elsa laughed sleepily. "It'll make the church mad."

Anna gave her sister a look, and Elsa responded by rolling her eyes slightly. "I've offered to buy their lumber at a premium for the next few years, and they've entitled us to one-third of their entire annual output. I'm creating an unanticipated scarcity for most of the region."

"...and?"

A yawn. Elsa shook her head, waking up a little more. "And the Tveit family has offered our house a steep discount on paper if we can directly supply him with the lumber they need. He also offered us a portion of his profits if we finance a new printing house."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "A portion of the profits? Henrik Tveit is in an lucrative business right now. How much are we looking at?"

"Twenty-two percent flat for two years if we build the printing house with absolutely no interest. Nine percent otherwise."

Anna whistled. "So you build him a factory for free and we get a gigantic chunk? What's the catch?"

Elsa shrugged, a bit sleepily, but continued, "Not much of one. He's desperate. The banks in Arendelle don't have the money to finance an operation as large as he wants to this to be, and all of the foreign banks will slaughter him on interest. Plus, he apparently owed Dad a few favors."

Anna looked at the notes and scrunched her eyes. She picked up a pen and started writing, scribbling quickly. Elsa leaned over her leg to look on, interested. Finally, Anna finished.

"Assuming his output grows from his current operation – wait, is he closing his original shop?"

Elsa shook her head. The younger sister crossed out a few lines, then scrawled a few more. "Okay, assuming his growth rate stays the same- and we both know the demand is enormous, so that's apt to change for the better – we're looking at an output of six millions soverns per year. That leaves us with just over a million in profits, assuming we take the twenty-two percent option. How much is the factory going to cost?"

"Normally about three hundred thousand. But with the lumber we'll have from this deal and with our existing discount with the carpenters guild, it'll cut the cost in half. More than half, actually."

Anna looked impressed. "No wonder the church is going to be mad, their own printing operation will probably go under. Prices on lumber will go way up due to the scarcity."

Her older sister made a face. "Not something I'm incredibly proud of, to be honest."

A light bulb went off in Anna's head. "Do you think we could buy a larger percentage of lumber from the Ljung kingdom?"

Elsa shrugged. "Probably, why?"

"Sell the leftover lumber to the church."

The older sister's brain wracked through the scenarios, "We won't be able to sell it for too much over cost. They won't be able to afford it. We'd barely make a profit."

"But if we keep them in business, the Tviet family has a direct competitor. Prices would go up."

"So we'd get a small increase in funds from the lumber sale, but our biggest increase will come from the direct paper sales and our percentage cut? That's genius."

Anna gave her sister a lopsided smile. "You could probably sell some of the lumber to the guilds for regular construction projects around the city, as well. They hate dealing with the Ljung kingdom and would probably love to pay our house more if it meant they didn't have to jump through hoops."

"True. Hmmm...I'm going to be dealing with tax collections all day today. You mind meeting with the guild masters and see how they might feel about a deal?"

Anna grimaced. She hated tax season."Sure. I have some free time after I meet with the master weaponsmith this afternoon."

Elsa snuggled back into the crook between her sister's thigh and the bed, laughing to herself. "Weapons, huh?"

"I'm commissioning a blade."

Elsa pressed her smirk into soft skin. "You always did love pointy things."

Anna sighed mockingly. "So I can't make icicles out of thin air, sue me. Plus, my swordsmanship's gotten pretty good."

Elsa nodded. More than _pretty_ good. In the years since the Thaw, her little sister had found out she was a natural at swordplay, and could probably give most of the palace guards a run for their money. "I'm all for it. Having a decent weapon isn't a bad idea. Not like you'll ever need to use it, if I can help it."

Anna grinned. "You can't always be at my side, love."

Elsa pushed herself up so she was sitting side-by-side with her sister and grinned. "Wanna bet?"

Anna matched the grin and leaned in for a kiss, which the queen happily returned. After pulling back, the younger woman smiled. "I wish you could. My days would be so much better."

The queen nodded, about to make a reply, when a knock pounded on the door. A muffled voice followed shortly.

"_Your Royal Highness, are you there?"_

The princess sighed, wondering why someone would be coming to her door this early. She raised her voice to answer, "Yes, is everything all right?"

"_My apologies for waking you, but have you seen Her Majesty? Some mail has been delivered that she may be interested in."_

It was Elsa's turn to sigh. Anna rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Told you we should've gone back to your room."

The queen rose from the bed and motioned for Anna to cover herself. She quickly summoned an icy dress for herself and walked to the door, opening it widely. In the back of her mind, she prayed that Anna was _completely_ covered. "Yes, Kai?"

The man's eyes grew large, and he managed to stumble out, "I, I – Your Majesty! I, ah, didn't expect, uh..." He blinked multiple times. "What I, ah, mean to say, is-"

Elsa's laugh chimed through the air. "Out with it."

Kai managed to compose himself. "Ah, yes ma'am, sorry ma'am. There's a letter that just arrived from Corona for you." He handed over the document.

She grabbed it, checking the seal. It was unopened. She smiled. "Thank you. Will that be all?"

The steward nodded and bowed deeply. "Yes ma'am. Good day, Your Majesty." He turned towards the room, dipping his head in Anna's direction. "Your Highness."

Elsa closed the door and bounded back to the bed. Anna was practically giddy. "A letter from Rapunzel?"

"Looks like."

Elsa peeled back the wax seal and read through the document quickly. Anna rested her head in the crook of her sister's neck and red the document over her shoulder. Her eyebrows furrowed. "A summons?"

Elsa nodded absentmindedly. "Mmm. To the the both of us."

"But it's the middle of winter!"

"Looks like the the Southern Isles wants to challenge one of the trade provisions in the Treaty of Lethka. What a pain."

"That's huge. Don't all kingdoms need a representative for a treaty revision?"

Her sister nodded. "Most. The smaller houses don't need to send anyone if they don't want to, but in order for a hearing to take place, they're going to need at least twelve of the major houses to make an appearance."

Anna leaned into her sister and wrapped her arms around her waist, getting as close as possible. She finished skimming the document. "Well it won't be too bad, looks like. Rapunzel says there will be a festival going on for the week we'll be there."

Elsa smiled. "You'll love it."

Anna scoffed into her sister's neck. "Are you kidding? That many kingdoms together in one place? You're single, Elsa. Well, publicly at least. Men are going to be all over you." She made a face.

"That doesn't mean I have to pay attention to them, love."

Anna placed small kisses on her sister's bare shoulder. "I'll fend them off."

Elsa leaned into the touch. "Oh?"

The princess reached up to touch the queen's breasts, lightly thumbing over her nipples. She smiled into her kisses as the flesh immediately reacted. "Oh, indeed."

Elsa mumbled something incoherent and Anna laughed to herself, a wicked smile on her lips. "Oh, sister mine. The only one who gets to touch you is _me_."

She bit down and received an appreciative moan. Anna nursed the skin playfully, forming a light bruise next to the few others already trailing down the queen's neckline.

Elsa groaned, "Damn you, Anna. I'm going to have to wear high-necked tops for a week."

Her younger sister placed a light kiss on the tender skin and smirked. "A week? You underestimate me."

Elsa grinned, then looked outside and frowned. "We need to be out of here soon, snowflake."

She pulled her sister's head back by her pale hair and crushed her lips to Elsa's. Her hands wandered, groping and touching. Her older sister moaned, loudly. Anna's large grin was sinful.

Elsa pulled back a bit. "Anna, we-"

Her lips were assaulted again, the kiss deepening further. Hands were everywhere. Elsa thought about fighting it, but gave up, melting into the warm sensations. Anna felt her sister's resistance crumble and purred, her chest rumbling against Elsa's back.

She released the kiss and her older sister moaned at the loss of contact.

"We'll leave when I'm done with you, love."

Elsa's groan was all the encouragement she needed.


	2. Discipline

**A/N**: Okay, so this is just a kinda fun chapter. It has a little bit of importance to the plot, but it's mostly just smut. I couldn't help myself! The next chapter is where it's going to pick up.

There's a bit of asphyxiation play here, so if that's bothers you, might want to skip a bit. Anna's fun as hell to write when she's in charge.

_"The noise resembles the roar of heavy, distant surf. Standing on the stirring ice one can imagine it is disturbed by the breathing and tossing of a mighty giant below."_ -Ernest Shackleton

* * *

The queen's breath frosted in the chill morning breeze as she surveyed her surroundings. It was a beautiful morning. Occasionally the wind would bring her a snippet of birdsong from the harbor's shore so far behind her, but otherwise the area around her was perfectly silent.

She pressed her foot into the water next to the small icy island she was standing on and pushed outwards with her power. Soft crackles reached her ears as the water expanded - _Slowly...slowly!-_ freezing in a perfect circle underneath her toes.

A minute went by and she tested her weight on the ice, smiling as it held. She put another foot out and started the same process again. It was a good warm up, flexing her powers like this. She could turn the shore to ice easily, but controlling the expansion, feeling the minute cracks in the ice and forcing them the move only when her will commanded...that was the discipline she needed.

She had gotten better at controlling her power. Once she realized she could harness it, after she let it all loose and caused the Great Thaw, she promised herself that she would never again allow her magic to go unchecked. She refused to allow it to run rampant like it had on the fateful day of her coronation.

So she practiced every day, at dawn.

Well, close to dawn at least. She glared at the sun, well risen over the horizon already. Her concentration wavered slightly as she remembered the events of the morning

* * *

Anna had been a bundle of excited energy for a month straight. The ship taking them to the conference in Corona was leaving the next day, and her little sister almost couldn't contain herself. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and the entire palace was wrapped around her little finger.

Including the queen.

But really, that was nothing new.

What _was_ new was how Anna could manage to find her wherever she went. The bouncy girl had to let out her energy somehow, and she was very fond of using her sister to do so.

She and Anna were up early that day because her sister was, frankly, insatiable. The queen would normally practice her magic as the sun was rising, but the redhead made a _very_ convincing argument to keep her in bed later than normal. She decided to take breakfast before heading out, knowing the docks would have started to bustle with the start of the workday. She would try to avoid them until after the morning rush.

Elsa figured her sister would be fine at least until the afternoon, but after breakfast the smaller woman followed her into her study. As soon as the door was closed, she had been pressed against her desk, her sister's steady hands swifty pulling her dress up to her hips.

The queen shuddered, remembering the memory. Her beautiful sister had held her down against the desk, standing above her. The younger woman had shoved her leg between Elsa's, forcing the older woman's thighs apart, and without a second thought she drove two fingers inside her sister.

Anna's thumb found her bundle of nerves, and lights danced before her eyes as the redhead pressed circles into her. The lower fingers had begun to thrust inside her, setting every nerve in her body on fire.

Elsa moaned loudly, but the sound turned into a whimper of pain as her sister used her free hand to tweak her nipple through the thin fabric of her dress. Anna leaned forward, a wicked grin on her face.

"Now now, Elsa. You don't get to let the whole world know how much you fucking _love_ this. Don't you dare open your mouth again."

The queen's breathing grew deeper, her sister's words stroking her temper. She bucked against the hand inside her and growled softly, She tried to sneer at her sister but couldn't hold the gaze, her eyes rolling back as her body's fervor overtook her. She began to let out another groan, needing some way to express her need.

Abruptly, Anna's hand was at her throat.

She threw her head back, exposing more of her neck. The heat was almost unbearable. The redhead's lips met her ear and the younger woman's voice was low and sultry, seductive. "_What_ did I just tell you_?_" The hand around her neck squeezed slightly at the words. Elsa was practically panting.

The fingers on her throat forced their way up the queen's jawline, and jerked her head sideways. Anna's was staring directly at her, the look she was giving her older sister was smoldering. "Elsa. I asked you a question."

Her breathing was labored. She was so _close_, her younger sister's other hand had never stopped their assault, and she could feel her body's temperature rising. She tried to keep her powers in check, but she couldn't hold it in completely. Frost began covering the desk underneath her.

She tried to answer her sister's question, but couldn't form the words. She arched up, trying to press harder against the fingers inside her, the only words that tumbled from her lips were broken by gasps. Her body started shivering, feeling the pressure starting it's final build, and Anna kept her eyes locked on her older sister's.

Anna's face fell into a wicked smirk and the queen closed her eyes, not able to handle the scrutiny. She scrunched them closed, concentrating on nothing but the tingling feeling of every nerve firing off. Her breathing grew even shallower and her shivering turned into outright shaking as her sister's voice flowed over her.

The fingers around her jaw and neck grew tighter. "You're going to cum for me, Elsa. You're going to fucking cum for me and when you do, you're not going to make a single goddamn sound. That sound is mine and belongs to no one else, do you understand?"

Elsa's eyes clenched together, and she managed a partial nod. She arched again wildly, her body was on fire. Her sister's thumb pressed hard against her clit, and the digits inside her found their sweet spot. The dam built up, the pressure became to great, and the moment hit. Her toes curled, her body snapped taught and her hands balled, fingernails biting into her palm.

She opened her mouth as if to scream, but no sound came out. Her climax her her like an avalanche and the world went white. Her power felt like it exploded within her, carrying the weight of her ecstasy.

She had no idea how long she lay there afterward.

It felt like forever before her reverie was broken by her little sister's happy humming. The hand around her neck had loosened and flowed up into her hair. Her platinum locks were being slowly stroked, and she felt soft, small kisses against her collar bone. The younger woman's fingers had extracted themselves from the queen, and Elsa's dress was being pulled down to cover her modesty.

She let out one last, final shudder and opened her eyes halfway. "...Anna?"

Her question was answered with a soft kiss. When her sister pulled away from her mouth, the younger woman smiled softly. "You okay, love?"

Elsa managed a nod and let out a contented breath returning the smile with one of her own. "Seven hells, Anna."

The younger girl's laugh was like a chime, and she beamed down at her queen, "As fun as that was, I think you need to clean up a bit."

Elsa cocked her head to the side, questioning. Anna gestured around the room, and her eyes followed, widening as she took in the state of the small office.

Icicles covered almost every inch of the walls, and a fine powder of snow dusted the floor. Elsa gasped, turning back to Anna, suddenly distressed. "A-are you okay?!"

That gorgeous laugh rang through her ears again. "Totally fine, Elsa. The snow never even touched me."

She let out the breath she had been holding and waved her hand at the room, willing the ice to dissipate. She let her arms drop and hands held her steady as she pushed herself up and off the desk. Anna moved with her, and she pulled her little sister into her arms, her chest rumbling with a satisfied sigh.

Her younger sister pressed another small kiss against Elsa's lips and then ducked her head down into the crook of the queen's neck. They stayed in that position for a time, just holding onto one another until Anna pulled back slightly.

The younger girl smiled guiltily. "I have to go soon. Kai wanted one last rundown of my ongoing projects before we leave tomorrow." Elsa nodded.

"He'll probably try and hunt you down as well, so you better get going before he finds you. I know you wanted to practice this morning."

Elsa couldn't help the laugh that crept into her voice, "If I didn't want to before, I need to now. You keep doing things like this to me and I won't be able to control it."

"Someone's gotta keep you on your toes."

The queen laughed and pulled her sister in even closer. Anna returned the squeeze and stroked her older sister's hair. "Besides, you're getting much better at holding it in. I remember this time last month you froze the entire east wing when I took you by surprise. The practice is paying off."

Elsa groaned mockingly. "Well if you would let me say something, or make a noise or _anything_, it might not be as hard to hold it in."

Her younger sister's grin was wicked. "But where's the fun in that?"

The queen just rolled her eyes and Anna laughed cheekily. "You get _loud_, snowflake. You really want to give Kai a heart attack when he finds out you're doing? With your _sister_? That's a conversation I'd like to avoid."

Elsa laughed, "Fine, fine. Have it your way."

Anna giggled back, brightly,"Damn right."

The younger woman gave Elsa one last peck on the lips before walking backwards, slowly detaching herself from Elsa's grip. She held on till the last second, their fingertips touching. "I'll see you at lunch?"

Elsa nodded cheerfully. "Of course, love."

Anna grinned at her sister again before turning the latch and leaving room, the door shutting softly behind her.

* * *

And now here the queen was, a mile outside the harbor. She blushed brightly as the memory from the morning played through her mind, glad Anna wasn't here to see it and mock her for it. She stood up straighter, trying to block out thoughts of the lithe redhead. She closed her eyes, shutting out all sights, and focused on her breathing.

When her mind was sufficiently blank, she raised her arms up slightly, fingers splayed out, and summoned her power. She felt it well up immediately, a tidal wave of force trying to push it's way past her iron grip. The power felt like a soft coolness emanating from her center near her heart, and she had to restrain it to keep it from flooding out of her. She willed it towards her hands, and stopped before she let it loose, bringing the blueprint of her creation to the forefront of her mind.

She closed her eyes and let out a breath, the air frosting in front of her. _'Quality __**and**__ quantity this time, okay Elsa? You can do this.'_

She opened her eyes and _let go_.

The expanse of the ocean in front of her erupted into ice. She used the water around her to fuel her power as she held her will in check. Two dozen different masses began forming in front of her, slowly taking shape. She split her focus as much as she could, concentrating on those masses and creating enormous, polygonal chunks of ice.

Her hands swept forward slightly, and as one, each form began shedding water. The bottoms of each form rounded out only slightly, while the tops had water pouring down in rivers. Slowly, the icebergs began to take their shape. The tops became masts, connected to decks, floating on cold, snowy hulls. The sails billowed out, made from millions of tiny interconnected ice threads. They were close to breaking with the wind, but they held, whipped every which way.

Once the main forms were in place, Elsa focused her power on the details, working each ship in tandem. She pressed with her thoughts, convincing the ice to smooth out jagged edges and closing off imperfections in the hulls. After finalizing the main details, she brought her thoughts to each, one by one, feeling out their imperfections.

She fixed a leak in one, patched a sail in another, widened the decks on a third, and so on down the line until each was finished. Every single one was unique. The basic structure was the same in all, but it stood out in the minor details especially.

Elsa cut of her power, barricading off the source with her immovable will. She let out a long shaky breath and put her hands down. Not caring if anyone in the harbor saw, she sat down the ice, breathing heavily. The two dozen ships floated gently nearby, bobbing with the waves.

_'At least you remembered the anchors this time!'_

The first time she had tried the same build sequence, her concentration was broken by the ships crashing into each other, breaking apart and fracturing the ice. It surprised her so much that when it happened she lost grip on the ice around her and she had frozen over half the harbor before getting it under control again.

Anna had punished her for a week after that.

Elsa's breath caught as those particular memories resurfaced. She could feel her face growing warm and her body started reacting to her thoughts. She really, _really_ enjoyed her sister's punishments. Her sister could be incredibly...persuasive.

The queen took on more look at the ice ships in all their glory and smiled. Reaching out her will, she _pulled_ at the threads of her creations and they began to unravel, gradually turning back into salt water. She let them decompose as she stood back up and turned, icing the water under her feet and walking across the water back towards the castle.

She looked pleased with herself.


	3. Journey

A/N: And here's some plot, finally. Next chapter will be the fun stuff, and you'll see why at the end. Got some fluff at the beginning, 'cause life is meaningless without fluff.

The end of this chapter was written to the song If This Ship Sinks by Jonathan Young. Youtube it or download it on his website (you can download the entire album there, and can name your own price). If you get the change, I urge you to give this song a listen. It's pretty much the exact feel I was going for. Plus, it's awesome and I'm obsessed. :)

* * *

_"We built a thousand ships with our bare hands, a testament of strength across the land; So each and every ocean would bend its knee at our command."_ -Jonathan Young

* * *

The journey with the Royal Arendellan Navy had so far been relatively boring. A week and a half on the HMS _Kinross_ with absolutely **nothing** to do was starting to drive Elsa crazy. The first few days had been fine, but the moments had begun to drag on and on.

Worst thing was, she no longer had an excuse to see Anna.

The younger had come down with a debilitating case of epic seasickness, and Elsa was by her side for four days straight trying to help her sister feel better. To be entirely honest, Anna had found her sea legs quickly and was more or less fine on the second day, but the two used it as a coverup to explain why they were staying in the same room for the first week.

The queen grimaced at that. Before they left, she hadn't even thought about the fact that they wouldn't be sharing a room. Not that she would have requested anything different – they couldn't chance their secret being outed. But the second week on the ship was hell. Sleeping alone was heart-wrenching and lonely.

She hadn't been away from Anna for more than a few days in _years_. Elsa had no idea what to do with herself. Screw prim and proper, she was practically a lovesick puppy.

And the nightmares had come back.

The terrible scenes kept replaying themselves, even in her waking moments. It was always something to do with Anna. Her powers were mostly under control, so it wasn't just the thought of accidentally killing her. It got much worse.

Watching her little sister's death by firing squad. By hanging. By beheading. By murder at the hands of the palace guards. All because of their relationship. They'd make her watch Anna die horrible deaths, somehow unable to summon her powers to stop it.

Sometimes it was the other way around. She had out of body experiences in her dreams, where she'd be able to see Anna's reacting to her own executions. She saw Anna, her gorgeous Anna, in tears and sobbing on the ground uncontrollably.

Elsa had no idea how she had spent thirteen years alone.

Her sister was her lifeline. A week apart, and she was practically a zombie. She wasn't sleeping, and she knew Anna could tell. They spent all the time they could together during the day, but there was no where they could hide. The ship was too small, had too many people. They could never be alone.

It was affecting Anna, too.

The woman was pale. Too pale, much more than usual. The freckles on her face and shoulders were a sharp contrast to the skin underneath. She had bags under her eyes, and just looked travel-worn. She was blaming it on the seasickness, but Elsa knew better.

The queen noticed all of Anna's little movements, how she kept trying to hold herself back. She noticed when the younger woman's hands reached out slightly, then balled into fists. She noticed when the princess came just too close, accidentally brushing up against her sister for any type of contact. She especially noticed her eyes, how they constantly hovered over Elsa's curves.

If eye-sex were a thing, her sister would be the champion of the sport. If there was one thing that the journey had taught the queen, was that it was possible to be _very_ exposed, even when fully clothed.

All the good that it did, since they still couldn't _touch_ each other.

The ship was about two days from landfall, and it couldn't happen soon enough. Elsa looked up from the spot against the railing, looking out at the open ocean. Anna was next to her, staring out at the waves and the dark clouds against the horizon.

Her sister's small voice was light, airy, "That storm looks like it's going to be nasty."

Elsa made a small sound of agreement. "You think it'll reach us?"

Anna laughed, "With our luck? Of course it will."

The queen could only shrug.

"It could _totally_ make me seasick again."

Elsa's voice held soft laughter, trying not to let her words carry with the wind. "We've used that excuse already."

Anna's smirk was a little lopsided. "At this point I don't really care."

"Grabby, are we?" The queen laughed, the sound sending shivers down her sister's spine. Anna just rolled her eyes.

"You're worse than I am at this point, Miss Brings-Me-A-Puke-Bucket-Every-Night-As-An-Excuse-To-See-Me."

Elsa snickered. "Hell of a surname."

The princess snickered at her sister. "Very upstanding family, one of the most influential in Arendelle. Weirdly fond of gingers, though."

The queen nodded, amusement lighting her face. "At least they have good taste. Much better than blondes, at any rate."

Anna scoffed, "Els, self-deprecating humor doesn't suit you at all."

Elsa laughed brightly. "What humor? I thought we were talking about the influential families of our kingdom."

The younger sister swatted the queen on her arm sarcastically, and they both shared a secret grin at the contact.

"Elsa."

"Hmmm?"

"You're ridiculous."

She just smiled.

The two fell into a comfortable silence, watching the waves pass underneath the ship. Their pensive moment was broken a quarter-hour later when the first mate called them to dinner. They made their way to the galley, small smiles gracing both their faces.

* * *

The next morning brought bad news.

A large warship traveling away from Corona had intercepted them early in the morning. Both the queen and the princess were summoned to the captain's quarters to speak of contingency plans in the event of an attack. The two royals had been made aware of the recent piracy plaguing the coastlines of the neighboring kingdoms, but they had never thought they would actually find themselves facing the particular situation.

The entire deck had sat in silent apprehension as the ship grew ever closer, and the tension was so thick it could have been cut with a knife.

The ship's crew let out a collective sigh of relief when the sailor up high in the crow's nest shouted that the colors the warship were flying were indeed those of the Allied Kingdoms, and directly from Corona at that.

Anna and Elsa stood on the deck with the captain as a small lifeboat made it's way over to the _Kinross_. A large man in gleaming gold and purple armor was the first to board and he was quickly joined by three other men.

The wind had picked up, and they had to practically shout to make introductions. The man in the bright armor walked up to the captain and put out his hand. "Captain Rasmus, of the CNS _Junon_, at your service, sir."

"Captain Einar of the HMS _Kinross_. Likewise. And let me also introduce Her Majesty Queen Elsa, and Her Royal Highness Princess Anna of the House of Arendelle."

The man bowed deeply to the two woman, and they curtsied politely. The captain nodded to himself and looked at the armored man after the introductions were taken care of. "How can I help you, sir?"

The man addressed the three simultaneously. "I have some regrettable news. The port in Corona has been temporarily closed and I am afraid that we cannot allow your ship to dock for another four days."

Elsa's stomach dropped. Another four days on the ship would bring her to her wit's end. "Excuse me?"

The man bowed again, seemingly in apology. "I apologize profusely, Your Majesty. The kingdom of Corona means no affront to Arendelle in the least. The closure is only temporary, I promise you."

Elsa's eyebrows furrowed. Anna put her hand on her sister's arm and looked up at Rasmus, "Is there a reason for this?"

The man nodded at them both, "Unfortunate business, that. Two days back, there was an assassination attempt on King Deckard of the Southern Isles just as he set foot on shore. The King and Queen of Corona have restricted all access to the harbor until they can be sure it is completely secure. This is meant in no way to offend your kingdom, and I have been advised that the King wishes to give you his sincerest apologies in person once you are permitted to make landfall."

Elsa smiled and put her hand out in front of her, palm towards him. "There will be no need for any apologies, I understand. Our kingdoms have been allies for over a century, we would never harbor any ill will towards Corona."

Rasmus returned the smile. "That is fantastic to hear, your Majesty. I only hope the dignitaries from the other kingdoms will take the news as well as you have."

The large captain grinned and the two sisters laughed. Einar smiled as well, then clapped his hand to the other man's arm. "Thank you for the information, but you'll be wanting to get back to your ship captain," he looked up the the graying sky, "This storm's coming in quick, and it's going to be fierce."

Rasmus nodded. "Thank you. By your leave then, captain? Your Majesty?"

The two nodded and the burly captain and his men made their way back to the small lifeboat. Once he was gone, Einar turned to the sisters, bowing. "You two should probably get back to your rooms as well. We'll secure the deck for the storm. I'll make sure that food is sent to your quarters shortly."

The queen nodded and turned to go, but Anna smiled earnestly at the captain. "Actually, if you could have my dinner sent to Elsa's room? We'll need to discuss this delay and the repercussions it will have for Arendelle since we will most likely be returning home later than planned."

The captain nodded. "Of course, your Highness."

Anna grinned her thanks and walked with Elsa to her quarters. As soon as the door latched, the queen beamed and grabbed her sister in her arms. Anna immediately settled against the older woman, relishing in the contact.

Elsa hummed happily. "I missed this."

The princess nodded almost imperceptibly and pulled her older sister's face towards her own, placing a light kiss on Elsa's lips. The queen immediately pressed back and deepened it, her tongue darting out to meet Anna's own. They stayed that way, liplocked and kissing back and forth for a good ten minutes before they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Anna gave her sister one last peck on the lips before releasing Elsa and walking towards the bed. The queen answered the door; A sailor was waiting patiently outside with their food. The man grinned and bowed after handing it over, "Oh, a word from the captain, your Majesty. He wanted to remind you to latch down anything that may be loose, don't want things flying around and getting' ya hurt."

Elsa nodded. "I will, and send the captain my thanks."

She brought the food in, and Anna was already at her desk, putting pens and loose papers in the desk. She saw the younger woman grab some extra candles and put them in the drawer of the side table by her bed.

The two ate their dinner in relative silence. The sat as close as physically possible savoring every bit of contact. After finishing, they locked the dirty plates in the desk so they wouldn't fly around and lay down together on the bed.

Anna tried to snuggle against Elsa's back, but yelped when the queen flipped her over. Her sister pulled the princess against her chest and chuckled. "None of that. I get to be the big spoon this time."

Anna practically whined. "Elsaaaaaa..."

She laughed lightly. "Oh hush, you always manage to get the better of me. I'm allowed every once and a while. Besides, I'm older _and_ I'm your queen."

The princess snorted, highly undignified, "You might be the queen of Arendelle but _I'm_ the queen of our bedroom," She stretched languidly and gave her sister a sultry look, "And you have to worship me."

Elsa gave an exasperated sigh and pulled her sister closer. "We both know I do plenty of that."

Anna hummed happily in confirmation. "Love you, Elsa."

"I love you too, Anna."

* * *

Elsa could not possibly sleep.

She had no idea how Anna could. The ship was rocking hard underneath them, and she could hear the ocean crashing against the deck in enormous waves. The storm had started out small, and they had fallen asleep to the light pattern of rain hitting the deck above them. The sound was soft, soothing, and they were dreaming in minutes.

The sound the queen had awoken to was altogether a different beast. This rain was a torrent, impossible not to hear from anywhere inside the ship's hull. She could hear the anchor straining, a loud metallic sound that vibrated eerily against the splashes of the water around them.

Her breath caught as the ship turned almost horizontal. She had to brace herself against the bed's backboard and hold onto her sister to keep her from falling to the floor.

The harsh grip managed to stun the younger woman awake, and Anna gasped, grabbing onto the headboard as well. The sisters held onto each other, bracing their bodies against gravity as each wave bore down on the vessel.

The older woman heard a small whimper coming from the bundle in arms. She grabbed on tighter to the princess and pressed her lips to the top of her head. She was trying to provide as much comfort as she could, but she knew that her younger sister could hear the frantic beating of her heart in her chest.

Anna looked up at her sister, and as soon as their eyes met Elsa knew the same thought flashed through their minds.

_This is how mom and dad died._

Elsa huddled down and tore her eyes from her sister's, not able to handle the emotions playing across Anna's face. She let out her own whimper and held onto the princess for dear life.

A small, detached part of her mind wondered if this was what their parents were doing in their last moments. She hoped they got to hold each other one last time. She hoped that their last meal was a decent one. She hoped that the night before that fateful storm, they stayed up all night talking, laughing, loving, _living. _She hoped that her dad didn't stay up late, or that her mom didn't go to bed early on the night that the cruel waves took their lives.

She hoped, more than anything in the world, that their last day together was beautiful.

Elsa was torn from her thoughts as a massive _CRACK _reached their ears. She and Anna looked at each other. It hadn't sounded like water had hit the deck. It was thousands of time louder than the thunder and the storm. The queen sat up, just as the entire wall next to her _disintegrated_.

The only thing in it's place was a gigantic circular piece of wood covered in ropes and splinters. The two women bolted up for the door, running sideways as the ship lurched once again.

They reached the door and opened it. When they looked out, they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"_Seven hells__, that's the mast!_"

Elsa could barely hear her sister above the torrential downpour. She tried stepping out onto the deck but was thrown against the door frame as a wave hit the ship. Anna grabbed her harshly, keeping her from being thrown against the deck.

The younger woman looked out near the base of the broken mast and gasped when she saw the captain, trapped in rope on the starboard side of the ship and struggling to move towards the them. She flew into action, urgently grabbing onto the ropes attached to the deck railing. She started making her way towards the man, desperate to help.

She could hear her sister yelling behind her, but couldn't make out the words. A wave crashed over her, but she held fast until it was past, moving down the rail bit by but until she made it to Einar.

Elsa was terrified. She attempted to follow her sister, but couldn't find the footing, slipping on the deck. She screamed for Anna to stop and wait, but the princess kept moving. She yelled in fear when she saw a wave break over the deck directly on top of her sister, and cried out in relief when she saw it hadn't washed the woman away.

She looked on, her heart in her throat as the young woman reached the captain. She saw Anna grab the man's belt knife and cut him loose, managing to pull the heavy ropes off of him. She gave Einar a hand up and they both moved quickly to the rails, managing to reach it before the ship tossed again.

They made their way back along the rail. The captain reached Elsa first, and she pulled him into the room behind her, giving him some semblance of cover. She vaguely noticed that his head was bleeding heavily, but she couldn't afford to take much notice.

Her sister finally grew closer and Elsa reached out for her. Anna grabbed her hand and grinned a triumphant smile at the queen.

Elsa let out a sigh of relief and pulled the hand, trying to bring the woman into the room.

Just as Anna reached her, the broken mast swung backwards along the ropes holding it. It hit the rail behind the princess and caused the already-swaying ship to tilt further. The younger woman's hand was torn from Elsa's as the arm holding the railing was pulled back, crashing backwards. The railing was ripped from the deck and was pulled out into the raging ocean.

Anna was pulled with it.

Elsa's hand, still outstretched, formed into a fist. Her blood was pounding in her ears, louder than the noise of the storm around her. Her eyes widened, staring at the empty spot her sister had just stood in. The brutal truth hit her and she screamed louder than she ever had before. The door and deck around her froze over completely, her voice screeching her sister's name over and over in disbelief.

Her world went white.

"_**ANNA!"**_


	4. Pact

A/N: Here we are, sorry about the cliffhanger! I meant to have this up yesterday, but it ended up being hard as hell to write this chapter. I had this one completely planned out, but describing what happened was tough, and I hope it's up to par. Thanks for sticking with reading this thing! All feedback is appreciated.

* * *

_"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal."_ -Albert Pike

* * *

Elsa couldn't see anything.

There was white all around. There were sounds everywhere, a cacophony of omnipresent noise, unable to be filtered. Time stood still. She couldn't move, couldn't think. Everything inside her stopped while the rest of the world moved around her. Her stomach fell, her heart was going to rip out of her chest. If there were tears in her eyes they were washed away with the water flying everywhere around her. She wasn't sure if she was crying, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Anna...oh gods, _Anna_...

The storm was raging – more than that. It was a rabid, wild thing, tearing into the wood of the ship underneath her feet. Thunder boomed and it shook her down to her bones, the deck shuddering as the surrounding elements crashed together.

Lightning held onto the thunder, releasing it as it hit water and crashed into wood. The sound ricocheted off cloth, off skin and bone as it was stolen by the wind. It was a turbine of motion, pulling at the tiny floating island, pulling against the metal of the anchor that was so tenuously holding the entire contraption to the ground.

Thunder met lightning, met water, met wood, met sound, met steel, met earth, met...ice?

Her breath caught. Ice.

_Ice._

She wasn't some drifter in a storm.

This was_ her_ storm to control.

She vaguely heard a man yelling behind her. She should have heard what he was saying as it was yelled almost directly in her ear, but she understood nothing. What he had to say didn't matter. He could do nothing. She looked down at her hands. Maybe she could.

_Maybe_.

Elsa ran the the railing where her sister had fallen moments before. She looked down into the raging waters, churning in a frenzy, waiting for yet another sacrifice from the deck above. The queen held onto the railing, digging her nails into the soft wood, then summoned her power. She pulled the stopper on her magic, let it flow through her completely, let it utterly consume her. She took one last, shuddering breath.

She jumped.

* * *

Anna could only see water.

It was cold, so cold. She was moving, constantly. Her legs and arms failed as she tried to stay above water, but it was to no avail.

Wave after wave crashed against her and pulled her under. Time and time again she fought to the surface for just one more breath. She would suck it in greedily before being covered by another blanket of wet, wet coldness.

Her lungs were burning, the only source of fire the entire world around her had to offer. She pushed herself up with her arms and legs, but they were growing stiffer, weaker. She crested the surf for another watery lung full of life, but was turned upside down by the wave that fell across her.

She tried to swim to the surface again, to air, but no matter how she moved she seemed to be getting further from the surface. Her limbs became lead, her dress a heavy weight entombing her body. She was slow, too slow.

She became dizzier. Her body had been whipped along, ruining her strength.

She could barely think any longer. Was she moving up? She tried to take another breath, pulling the surrounding water into her lungs. She choked, trying another breath and another, but there was no air to be found. Just the bitter, bitter freezing water.

She always figured she'd die cold.

A smile almost lit her face, then. It was to be expected. She had taken her sister, an ice sorceress, as her lover. Her earliest memories were always of snow, of ice, of cold. She was familiar with the bitter chill in her bones. She had been frozen before, was this really any different? The cold had always been a part of her life, why would anything change in death?

A wave of frigid power moved through her. Not ice, not water. It wasn't anything tangible, but it was there. And as it passed through her, it was _freezing_. The cold of the water had been a small brisk wind, but this...this was an avalanche of biting frost running through her.

The water around her turned to slush, and then...there were arms around her.

She couldn't see, her eyes remained close, but she didn't need to see to know who it was. A body – her sister's body – wrapped around her, holding onto her for dear life. She just didn't know how much life she had left. She clutched the woman holding her with the what little strength she had remaining, and took another breath.

Water. Nothing but water.

The world went black.

* * *

Elsa saw blue.

It was moving around her, swirling everywhere. Blue met white as foam ravaged across the surface of the water and disappeared as she dived lower. The water underneath was less blurry the deeper she went, but the night was dark and she couldn't see more than a few feet in front of her.

Her lungs burned and she used her power to propel herself up, catching air in her lungs above the waves before diving again. She kept moving, kept searching, but there was no light to see by. The sea was as vast as it was oppressive.

She strained her eyes, desperate for a glimpse of her sister. Her power pulsed out, transforming the water around her into slush. She knew it must be cold. Elsa couldn't feel it, but her sister could. She knew Anna could only survive minutes in waters like this.

Several had already passed.

The fear gnawed at her, she couldn't think clearly. She resurfaced for air two more times, but barely managed a single breath each time as she was choking on her own tears. She stopped moving, trapping herself in an ice cocoon. She needed to _think_. But how? How could anyone be found in this? A person was like driftwood, and the ocean was infinite around her.

She was crying, she was seething. It couldn't possibly end like this. She _would not_ allow it. Screaming her frustration, she sent her power out in a flurry around her in every direction, destroying the shell of ice she had created to protect herself. She could sense the ice as her power moved along its ridges, could feel her magic as it hit the ship, freezing it in place. Shecould feel the anchor, feel the detritus all around the ruined hull. Her power rushed out of her and she sensed every particle, every droplet of water, every splinter it touched.

She sensed Anna.

The woman was near her, further down in the water. She was sinking, but Elsa knew exactly where she was.

She lashed out with her power, creating an iceberg behind her, forcing her body in Anna's direction. She reached the younger woman in seconds and grabbed onto her, wrapping her entire body around the princess. She felt her sister's arms grip her weakly, then the chest that was held against her own expanded.

She felt the ice water enter Anna's lungs. Elsa was in her element, frost and cold and ice and water all around her. She _felt_ the water as her sister choked on it, she sensed the stagnant water sitting in the younger woman's lungs, could feel the water around the two of them stop moving as Anna stopped struggling.

Elsa gripped her sister's hair, pulling the woman's face to look at her own. Her lungs hurt, she could feel the press of the water against her lips and nostrils, felt how much it wanted to take away what little air she had.

She couldn't feel Anna.

Her face was blue, lifeless. Unmoving.

The Ice Queen made a decision. She didn't know why she did it. Maybe it didn't matter why. _Nothing_ else could be done. She gathered her power. All of it.

Every bit she could manage.

She let loose the floodgates. He power poured from her chest, filling up her entire body. More than she knew she could handle. She summoned every bit of power around her. All of the ice and slush and cold she could pull from the water and the storm, she held onto. She grabbed onto it with her will. Her mind was focused, more sharp than it had ever been before.

She could see, feel, _know_ everything her power touched. It was pure clarity. Everything stood still. The storm around her stopped. The wind died. The seas calmed. The universe itself waited to see what she was going to attempt.

And in that single moment of clarity, she made the decision to die.

Her power was her life, she couldn't live without it. Everything she was and could ever be was deeply entwined with her ability to cast her gods-given element. So she gathered what she could of it, every bit of power that she could possibly ever summon was at her fingertips. And she thrust it away.

At Anna.

It hit the woman's shoulder first, and traveled along her spine. The woman's body would not give in. Elsa pushed, and nothing. She _slammed_ her power against the younger woman over and over and over. Until finally, the princess's body failed. Elsa directed the power through her sister and into herself. She gathered more of her will as the power passed through her own body before pushing it back towards the princess.

A moment passed, then ten. Then twenty. Elsa's power was a singing pendulum in the water, pushing between herself and Anna. The power wasn't freezing the younger woman. Elsa knew, somehow, that it wouldn't. She became aware of Anna like she was aware of the ice. Anna _was_ her power. She could feel her sister absolutely.

Elsa's power swept away the water in the princess's lungs, used it to clear her own mind and the woman's she was holding. She could feel Anna coming to, and she knew that Anna could feel the magic coursing through her own skin .She knew that her sister was also reaching that same moment of clarity. Second after second passed, and the two held each other in a sway of ice and cold and pure, freezing magic.

Then Anna tapped into it.

Elsa had no idea what had happened, or how. She could feel every bit of her sister, knew the woman down to her bones, and suddenly _knew_ that Anna could tell the same things about her. The tension of Elsa's magic continued to grow, the pendulum of power moving between the two, growing faster and faster.

Anna was completely coherent. The sisters stared at each other, unsure of what was happening but forcing the power back and forth between the two of them, whipping through their bodies. The pace quickened and soon it was a ball of light and darkness and cold, and they couldn't tell which of them held onto it when. They were both in control.

Elsa grew weaker as she tried to force it fully to Anna, attempting to push the entirety of her power at the younger woman. She would die without it, but Anna would live. She had to be certain. The queen smiled sadly and let it go completely.

Anna's eyes went wide, and suddenly a voice rung through her mind. It wasn't spoken aloud, but rung though every fiber of her being. _'Elsa!_'

The power ripped through her. Anna held the two of them together, and forced the power to stay in place between them. It was like a living thing, writhing, aching to be released. The princess held it steady, somehow, hanging the ball of pressure in between them, forcing it in place. Elsa, at long last, retook her part of the burden, and felt her strength return, her mind clearing once again. Anna took Elsa's hand in her own. She raised both of their arms towards the surface, a smile on her face, and released her hold.

Elsa was moments behind. The magic the two were holding blasted through the water and out into the open air. The sun was shining above their heads. The storm, it's power used up by the sisters, was utterly gone. The two surfaced, and the power above them burst out, then fell to the water as a fine powder of snow.

The queen held onto her sister, treading water. Anna was breathing hard. "Elsa?"

She squeezed the younger woman tight. "Anna."

"Elsa, I feel...there's something..." The princess put her hand to to water and gasped as the water underneath turned to ice. Elsa felt her chest go cold as it happened, could feel the power being drained from her body as the younger woman froze the water. Anna pulled back, frightened. Elsa put out her own hand to finish what the younger woman started. She created an island of ice, then pulled herself onto it. Once she was up, she put out a hand to her sister and pulled her up as well. Elsa grabbed onto the younger woman again once they were both afloat on the island, holding Anna in her embrace, tears falling from her eyes.

The princess held onto her sister just as dearly, needing to be close. The two stayed entertwined for minutes that felt like an eternity.

Elsa looked down at the princess once she was able to control her emotions, gasping softly as she took in the sight of her younger sister. The white streak in her hair was back, as well as small, white snowflake-fractal scars on her shoulder, peaking up from her dress. "Anna. You, you're...using my power? But how?" _Oh, gods, Anna. I'm so sorry._

The younger woman looked at her strangely. "What are you sorry for? You saved my life."

Elsa's eyes furrowed. "I didn't say anything, I was just thinking...I -" The queen's eyes widened. _Oh_. Oh _**hells**_.

She directed her thoughts to her sister, _'Anna, can you hear me?'_

The younger woman squeaked. "Elsa! You're in my head!" _'How the...'_

The older sister blinked once, twice. Then she started laughing. _'Well, this will certainly make life interesting.'_

Anna stared at her sister, her eyes wide, mouth gaping. As the situation sunk in, the amazed look turned into a wide smile.

_'Oh love, this will be fun.'_

Elsa just shook her head, laughing, and pulled Anna closer to her. She looked up, and saw the sun.

_'I'm just glad you're alive.'_


	5. Destination

A/N: So sorry for the long wait for a new chapter. I've been sick like a dog all week and haven't been in the mood to write. Or eat. Or really do anything except sleep. So... to make up for it, I wrote you all a nice, lemony new chapter. I really didn't mean to, but first they're kissing, then getting all touchy...one thing leads to another, you know how it goes.

I also wanna throw a special shout-out to Baku babe for putting up a rec on tumblr for this crazy story. To you: all my happiness, all of it! Thank you!

* * *

_I have looked into your eyes with my eyes. I have put my heart near your heart._ - Pope John XXIII

* * *

Elsa awoke to a room she didn't recognize.

A burst of panic ripped though her, realizing Anna wasn't near her. She scanned the room frantically, and found captain Einar in a chair next to her snoring lightly. She was halfway out of bed before she realized she could send a message to the younger woman. She reached out hastily.

As her mind traveled down the link, she didn't receive a response. However she did get a vague, drowsy sense and she realized Anna was sleeping. Concentrating, she found that she could almost pinpoint where the princess was in relation to herself. Her younger sister was about ten feet below her, and about seven feet to the left. What that meant, she had no idea.

Not knowing where she was, exactly, made it harder to know what type of place her sister was in. Though the fact that she could navigate herself to the younger woman was... interesting. She took a deep breath, warding away the panic that had gripped her.

_'This...could be useful.'_

She could tell that her fear had made Anna stir in her sleep and Elsa admonished herself. She wanted her sister to get as much rest as possible. With Einar here, she knew that wherever this place was, it must be safe. She shook away the last of her irrational fears.

She looked down, noticing her clothes had been changed. She was wearing a large purple and gold uniform shirt and an ill-fitting pair of white breeches. She grimaced.

The queen brought herself to a sitting position and grabbed the captain's shoulder, shaking slightly. The man grunted, but didn't wake. Elsa tried again, harder this time. He almost fell out of his chair before he drowsily yawned and opened his eyes. He was quick to wake, however, once he noticed his monarch was attempting to grab his attention.

"Your Majesty, you're awake! Thank goodness you're alright."

Elsa cocked her head to the side. "I'm perfectly fine. How did I get here?" She remembered the state their ship had been in when she saw it last and amended, "Where are we?"

"We're on the _Junon_, ma'am. Captain Rasmus received our distress call and took us up. And a good thing too."

"Oh?"

"The _Kinross_, well...we managed to get the crew off before she went under, but that was about it. There's a few bits of her above water, but she's done for."

Elsa pressed her palm to her forehead, sighing to herself. One thing at a time. She asked the question she had been dreading.

"The crew? Were there any fatalities?"

Einar smiled widely. "Not a one, ma'am. The mast didn't hit any of the sleeping quarters, 'cept yours of course. We had a few broken bones from getting tossed about, but no deaths." His face deepened into a frown, "Though it was a close thing, with you goin' after her Highness. We thought we had lost the both of you."

Elsa's face twisted into a partial grin. "I was fine, captain."

He shrugged. "I'm not much of a captain with no ship. But your Majesty," His face was serious, "Please _never_ do anything like that again. Seeing you jump like that almost took my heart straight out of my chest."

The queen smiled softly at his concern and laid her hand on his shoulder, wincing slightly as she felt pain lance though her arm. Was she hurt? She pushed the thought away for the time being. "I'd never do anything like that without a reason. Anna was in trouble. You understand."

Her voice was kind, but it was a statement, not a question. He knew an order from his queen when he heard one; It was useless to argue. "Of course, ma'am. You just scared us, is all."

She nodded politely. "How did we get on this ship? I don't remember anything after I found Anna."

"Well, the storm stopped real quick-like, and I looked out and you and her Highness were floating on this little piece of ice. It looked like you were walking back towards us, but then you two both fell over at the same time. I swum myself out as quick as I could. I think it was just exhaustion, mostly. But you both were cut up pretty bad."

She stood up gently and stretched, but her face contorted in pain. "Cut up, indeed." She suddenly felt her sister's groggy thoughts through their link. Could she feel the same hurt as well? She hoped not.

Einar continued, "Rasmus had you both looked at by his physikers. Nothing bad, they bandaged up the worst of it."

"I'll have to thank him personally." Her eyes narrowed in thought. "Where is this ship heading?"

Einar stood up so he could face the queen. "We should be docking in Corona soon, ma'am. We got the word that we were about an hour out from shore just a bit ago."

Elsa's eyes widened. "It's been four days already?"

The older man shook his head, laughing. "No, no, no. I ah... had some words with the captain. He was pretty adamant about the policy originally, but I managed to talk him around."

"How?"

Einar face held a wry grin. "I just reminded him that a foreign monarch and her heir almost died less than a day's sail from his own kingdom, and that it would be a shame if something were to happen to either of them that he may not be able to predict." His grin grew wider, "I also asked if he was _entirely_ sure of his physikers' ability to judge damage done to a sorceress – beg your pardon, ma'am - and asked if he thought the palace healers might be able to better judge your well being."

Elsa scoffed. "You threatened him?"

He shrugged. "Not entirely. I really didn't know if you and her Highness were in more trouble than we could tell. I had to be sure."

He bowed deeply, his smile entirely sincere. Elsa smiled back, thanking the man in not so many words.

A sleepy thought came to her, though it wasn't her own. _'Elsa?'_

_'I'm here.'_ She sent a wave of comfort down through the bond, and she could feel her sister's contentment. Elsa practically beamed. She had no idea how long the link would last, but she was definitely enjoying being so close to the younger woman.

She noticed Einar walking towards the door. When he reached it, he turned to towards the queen. "Would you like me to fetch the captain, your Majesty?"

She nodded. "Please."

As soon as he left, she looked down at her clothes. She had meant to ask Einar about them. She assumed all of her clothes had sunk along with the ship, if this is what they had to dress her in. Fantastic. She removed the offensive apparel and summoned her power, donning her usual ice dress.

She sighed happily. Much, much better.

The distinct feeling of an eye-roll flowed into her mind. She ignored her sister.

A knock came from the door, and she walked over to answer it. The burly captain was standing there, his face neutral. He bowed.

Elsa walked through the doorway, and he moved back slightly to allow her space to move. Once she was outside the confines of her room, she returned his bow, deepening hers.

"Captain Rasmus, it would appear as though Arendelle is in your debt."

He waved his hand, dismissing the statement. "Of course not, your Majesty. You are our ally, and in dire need. It was the least we could possibly do. Are you feeling quite well?"

Not wanting to undermine the work Einar had done, she shook her head slightly. "Not entirely, I'm still incredibly tired and still in pain," Not actually a lie, the soreness was starting to rear its ugly head, "But I will be fine, thanks to you. Please send my compliments to your crew."

He nodded. "We will be docking soon. I took the liberty of sending a bird to the king. He will be sending an emissary to meet you at the harbor and escort you to the palace. I will send a guard of my own as well. We believe that the assassins are only targeting foreign vessels, so hopefully the _Junon_ will not be a target."

Elsa smiled her thanks. "It's very appreciated. I'll make sure the king and queen are made aware of everything you have done for us."

The captain's eyes lit up, but he tried to smother the expression to remain neutral, "I will not insist, ma'am, but I would thank you for the gesture."

"In that case, I _do_ insist. We'd be stranded without you." She grinned, changing the subject. "Now, if it's not too much trouble, I would like to check in on my sister...?"

The man nodded emphatically. "Of course! I'll have Marit show you the way." He gestured towards the woman near him wearing a first mate's uniform. She began walking to the crew's quarters.

"This way, your Majesty. If you please?"

Elsa followed the young woman below deck to a door that was right underneath the room she had been in earlier. The woman guiding her turned back to the queen. "I'm not sure if she's asleep or not, ma'am. But she's in here."

"Thank you, Marit. I believe I can handle her from here."

She other woman smiled and made her leave. As she walked away, the door flung inwards on its hinges.

"Elsa!"

Her arms were suddenly full of her younger sister. Anna flung herself into the older woman's arms, and Elsa could feel the love radiating from her. She squeezed her back, relishing in the touch. She smiled warmly down at her sister. "C'mon."

The queen placed her hand on Anna's back and felt her shiver underneath her touch. An altogether different type of emotion filtered into her mind through their link, and she had to suppress her own shudder. It had been _much_ too long since they were allowed near each other, alone. Elsa smothered her emotions and pushed the younger woman inside the door, closing and locking it behind her.

As soon as the door was sealed, found herself forcefully pressed up against the wall behind her. One of her sister's hands was roaming, provocatively touching whatever she could. The other hand was pressed up against her jaw and neck, holding her head in place. She couldn't suppress the shudder this time.

She took a deep breath to try and catch her bearings, putting on an authoritative tone. "**Anna**..."

The younger woman pressed her body flush to her own. With a start, she realized that her younger sister was wearing the same type of clothing Elsa had been wearing earlier, minus the breeches. The oversized shirt was almost a dress on the shorter woman, coming down to her knees. Elsa wanted it _off_, but she reigned herself in.

A voice filtered through the haze in her mind. _'Stop it.'_

Elsa closed her eyes tight. The hand on her neck squeezed a bit harder. Anna's face was right next to her own, and she could feel the princess' breath on her lips. _'We both know you want this. I can feel **exactly** what you're feeling, sister mine."_

Elsa took a deep breath, and it came out shakily. She waged war within herself, knowing the last thing she should be doing is having sex on a foreign dignitary's flagship. A wave of pure _lust_ slammed into her mind from her sister's side of the link. _'You think you have a choice?'_

A hand grazed Elsa's breast and flicked the already-erect nipple. The queen let out a small moan and her younger sister smirked. _'Stop fighting it.'_

Anna felt the moment Elsa's resolve crumbled, and she leaned in to kiss the older woman forcefully. She tore at the icy fabric of the dress, knowing it could easily be remade, and began fondling her sister. Elsa grunted, and with a wave of her hand dismissed the entire garment completely.

The princess leaned back and pulled her large shirt over her head, grinning madly at Elsa's face once the woman realized that she wasn't wearing anything underneath.

Anna moved right back against her older sister, leaning in for a slow, seductive kiss. She smiled against the older woman's lips as Elsa let her hands roam, holding onto her younger sister's waist and caressing her breast with the other. Anna purred as Elsa ran a thumb across her nipple, and she deepened the kiss further, biting onto her sister's bottom lip.

The princess slowly moved her hand down her sister's body, through the crevice between the woman's breasts, skirting over her naval and finally reaching her destination. She stroked the older woman's lower lips, but pressed no further.

Anna smirked as Elsa arched into her hand, but she held back, unwilling to let her sister pleasure herself. _'Tell me how much you want this.'_

Elsa wasn't sure if she groaned in her mind or out loud. It didn't mater. _'Anna, please.'_

She could feel the desperation rolling off of her sister in waves. She relished in the power, and she knew Elsa could tell _exactly_ how turned on she was by it. _'Please, what?'_

Elsa tried to reach down and touch herself, not wanting to play games. She _needed_ the release. Anna slapped her hand away. _'What do you want, Elsa?'_

The older woman was panting, her urgency obvious. Anna could feel the woman dripping underneath her softly brushing fingers.

Elsa leaned her head back, clamping her eyes closed. _'Fuck me, Anna.'_

Anna's smiled turned wicked. She pushed her fingers past the woman's lips and thrust two fingers inside her.

The smirk fell from her face and her eyes went wide. The princess abruptly stopped moving and Elsa let out a whimper. "Anna?"

The younger woman was gasping. Elsa swallowed harshly and opened her eyes, worried. "Anna, are you okay?"

She nodded her head emphatically. _'I can feel it... when I do that.'_

She felt a pang of confusion from her older sister. She grabbed the older woman's hand and pulled it down to her own sweet bundle of nerves. As soon as Elsa touched her younger sister, she gasped, perceiving the touch through the bond they shared. _'Oh hells, Anna.'_

_'You can feel it too?'_ The older woman nodded.

Anna let out a whistle. "Gods, this is strange."

Elsa, frankly, could care less. She pressed her hand against her sister's most sensitive area and they both shuddered. Anna shook her head, and started moving her fingers again. She pressed a kiss to her sister's lips and groaned.

The sensation coming from her older sister's hand was almost too much to handle. Coupled with the amplified feeling of her own touching coming through the link, and she was in pure bliss. She couldn't physically feel her own fingers, but the sensations running thorough her sister were directly transferred into her mind as well. Soon she was sucking and nibbling on Elsa's neck and the sensitivity only grew stronger.

Elsa was a mass of nerves. She had no idea how her sister was managing to hold up against the double assault. Her head fell to the side, and she felt her sister move to her neck, toying with the sensitive skin of her collar. She did her best to muffle her groan, but it was becoming too much. She started grinding against the hand inside her, and she felt Anna hiss against her neck.

The younger woman was relishing in their link. She could feel every nuance of her older sister's emotions, and was on the receiving end of the pleasant torture she herself was inflicting. She let a breath out between her teeth when Elsa began grinding against her hand, feeling the heat in her lower body start to build up.

She angled her fingers up, knowing from personal experience how good it felt, and it brought both of them to the brink. They shuddered against each other, Anna biting down and Elsa throwing her head back.

They climaxed together, and the intense orgasm rippled back and forth across their link, snowballing into an intense pool of euphoria. The two gripped each other, riding the waves of bliss until it finally, _finally_ wore down to a dull throb.

Anna pulled her fingers back and licked them, making sure Elsa saw exactly what she was doing. Her older sister let out a shuddering breath and shook her head no. _'Don't even start. I don't think I can handle a round two right now.'_

Anna raised an eyebrow. _'Just means I need to get you back later.'_

Elsa rolled her eyes and kissed the younger woman, tasting herself on the princess' lips. She smirked. After a moment, she looked down and ran two fingers down her sister's cheek. _'I love you, Anna.'_

The younger woman felt a surge of tenderness from her older sister, and she smiled back, returning the sentiment. _'I love you too.'_

Elsa's gaze moved down and took in her sister's naked body. She noticed that the scar patterns were still on the woman's body, starting at her shoulder and moving down her side. They almost looked like tattoos, but in actuality they were small, slightly raised, white marks. The queen traced down one fractal pattern on Anna's hip.

The younger woman giggled, feeling tickled but her sister's hand. "You have them too, you know." she gestured to Elsa's opposite side and the queen's eyebrows pulled up in confusion.

"Huh."

Anna shrugged. "It's where you hit me with your power, I think. I remember my shoulder hurting badly, but not much else. I don't know why you have the same scars, though."

Elsa's eyebrows furrowed, catching sight of a bruise on Anna's collar. She thumbed it, and they both flinched. The princess' eyes widened, staring at the spot along the queen's own collar that she had bitten minutes before.

"Elsa..."

The older woman took a steadying breath, grabbed her own arm and pinched it, _hard_.

Anna whimpered.

The both looked into each other's eyes, fearfully. Elsa snapped hers closed and pressed her thumb and forefinger against her tear ducts. She let out of worried sigh. "This isn't good."

"How did you even link us like this, Elsa?"

The queen shrugged her shoulders minutely. "It just came to me. I didn't know what I was doing." She removed her hand from her face, and there were tears in her eyes. "I couldn't lose you."

Anna reached up and wiped away the drops before they could fall. She could feel her sister's deep worry through their link, and she had to hold back her own tears. "I know. It's okay." She took in a deep breath of air, and let it back out. "So, if something happens to one of us...?"

She left the question hanging, and Elsa nodded slightly. "Looks like the same thing happens to the other. I don't like this."

Anna tried to give her a reassuring smile. "It may not last." She didn't believe the words, and she knew Elsa didn't either.

The queen just nodded, and pulled the younger woman into her arms. "We'll figure it out."

The two leaned against each other for a time, just basking in the presence of the other. They left their emotions unfiltered, knowing the other could feel everything. Worry, frustration and absolute adoration flowed back and forth between the two, and they both reveled in the closeness.

Eventually a knock on the door brought them out of their reverie.

Elsa released her sister with a sad sigh, and quickly used her power to summon herself an ice dress. She went to open the door, and Anna coughed loudly.

Elsa looked back at her sister for a moment, realizing she was _also _without clothing. She waved her hand again, and a more modest ice dress formed against her sister. It looked somewhat like the dress Anna had worn at Elsa'a own coronation, except the fabric was blue, and the Arendelle crest on her chest was made out of glittering icicles.

The queen smiled wryly at her sister. "I know it's going to be cold, but we can find you something else when we get to-"

Anna interrupted her. "Actually, it's not."

Elsa gave her sister a confused look before comprehension dawned on her. Her younger sister could access her powers. "Oh... yeah. I forgot about that."

Anna shrugged. "Just another thing to deal with."

Another knock on the door.

Elsa nodded at her sister, sighing softy, but dropping the subject. She reached for the door and opened it, finding captains Rasmus and Einar on the other side. Rasmus peered down at her. "We're here, your Majesty. We should be docking in about 15 minutes or so." Einar said nothing and stood behind the older man, smiling slightly.

Elsa nodded. "After you, captain?"

He led the two of them up a flight of stairs, asking after Anna's health on the way up. After giving the all clear and thanking him again for his hospitality, they made it to the deck. "We'll verify the convoy who is coming to escort you once we reach the harbor, and we should have you two on your way shortly after that, your Majesty," He nodded towards Anna, "Your Highness."

The both thanked him again and looked out at the busy port. There were people everywhere, bustling around, shouting their wares and yelling back and forth. Men and woman both were like ants scurrying about, loading and unloading, tying down boats, and making themselves busy.

Elsa took her sister's arm in her own, smiling.

Corona, _finally_.


	6. Arrival

A/N: I totally subscribe to the theory that the Queen of Corona and the King of Arendelle are (were) brother/sister. Elsa and Anna are going to be received as family, and I'm assuming that in the years since the movie canon, the sisters would have gotten closer with their relatives. So I'm going into this thing with Corona being a major ally. It'll make for some fun negotiations later, but that's here nor there.

Didn't get too far in this chapter plot-wise, but I hope I managed to clear up a bit about how their link works. I hope I've conveyed it okay so far. Also - thanks to everyone for the reviews. I read every single one, and you all are so sweet. Thanks for giving my little story a chance!

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_The bonds that unite another person to our self exist only in our mind._ - Marcel Proust

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"I have no idea how you deal with these dresses, Elsa. They're heavy."

The queen gave her younger sister a slightly exasperated look and didn't bother answering. Anna just giggled. "Seriously!"

The princess received nothing except rolled eyes. Anna was tempted to blow a raspberry in her sister's direction, but she didn't want the entire crew to see her so undignified. She almost did it anyway.

A quiet laugh entered her mind. _'Not like they've never seen you hyperactive before.' _

She gave her older sister a slanted grin. _'Einar's men maybe, but not this crew!'_ She laughed out loud. "I'm not kidding, though. Doesn't your back hurt?"

"I'm used to it?"

Anna wasn't sure if the reply was a question or a statement, and she raised an eyebrow at her older sister. Elsa just shrugged. "I could make it thinner, but then it'd be see-through. It'd be a disaster."

The princess shook her head, her grin turning into a wicked smile. _'No, I think I'd actually enjoy that quite a bit.'_

Elsa blushed and her lips quirked a grin, but she didn't reply. Anna took her by the arm, grinning brightly. She looked up at her older sister. "Do we know when Rasmus is getting back?"

The queen shook her head slightly. "He was supposed to verify our escort, but I have no idea how long it can take."

"It's already been an hour!"

"I distinctly remember the lessons we took on patience as children. Apparently they were lost on you." Elsa sent a feeling of gentle mocking through their link, but smiled down at the woman.

"Yeah, and that's back when you were ignoring me. If you try to recall those lessons accurately, you'd remember me making faces at our tutor behind his back to make you laugh. The _entire _lesson. Every day. He was _boring_." Anna lightly hip-bumped her sister.

Elsa smiled, but it was slightly bitter. "I remember. That was before Papa made me take lessons alone. I wish he hadn't done it. I know why he did, but..." Her voice grew wistful, and Anna could feel the longing rolling from the queen.

Anna set her lips in a hard line. "He was wrong."

A feeling of slight reprimand came from her sister, but the princess could tell the woman didn't really mean it. "He did what he thought was best."

She dismissed Elsa's feelings and overrode them with a sudden urge of bitter, sad regret. Out loud, she sighed. "His best wasn't good enough."

"It's in the past, Anna. Nothing we can change now." She felt a wave of love and comfort creep into her mind, and it soothed the negative feelings. She knew it was useless to be upset over the past, but underneath the mental hug, she could feel the surface of a deep pool of regret and sadness in her older sister. She wasn't mad at her father, just the situation he had put Elsa in. Why hadn't he realized how much her older sister needed her?

_'It's okay. Everything ended up alright.'_

Anna looked up to Elsa, who had been gazing down at her. She gave her older sister a wry smile. _'It almost didn't.'_

Elsa whispered, "But it did." _'I have you.'_

Anna squeezed her sister's arm. _'Always.'_

Elsa looked up, hearing a commotion from the dock. She leaned on the railing of the ship to look out further. Anna saw her sister looking out and followed her gaze. She smiled once she saw who was on their way. "It's Rapunzel!"

Anna tore her arm from Elsa's and leaned up against the railing, pushing herself up and trying to get a closer look. As her hands touched the wood, the queen gasped.

Elsa felt a cool sensation in her chest, and felt her power flow down their invisible link to Anna. It was entirely undisciplined, and was flowing into the woman like a broken floodgate. It was very unlike the queen's careful and concentrated river when she summoned it herself, and the sudden rush took Elsa by surprise.

The wood underneath Anna's hands began crackling over with frost, and once the princess saw what was happening, she panicked and froze. "Elsa..?!"

Her younger sister's fear brought her back into focus and Elsa summoned her will. She forcibly cut off the source of the power inside herself, and turned her mind to the power flowing into the redhead. She closed her eyes, concentrating.

Anna was fighting against her unknowingly. The younger woman was trying to stop the spread of the ice, and in her panic lost her grip on the tenuous willpower she needed to control it. She was grasping at tendrils, trying to force the ice away, but was only causing it to spread further.

If the queen hadn't been concentrating on the task at hand, she would have laughed. The situation was one she had been in many times before.

She brought the force of her resolve to bear against the wayward ice and grabbed control of all of it from her sister in one fell swoop. Sighing in relief, she dismissed it with a final, forceful thought.

Elsa looked toward her sister, who was holding the railing in a death grip. She then looked around quickly to make sure no one was watching them. Once she was completely sure the crew hadn't seen the mishap, she let out a sigh.

The thoughts going through Anna's mind were jumbled and she couldn't make a bit of sense from them. She put a comforting hand on the younger woman's back. "It's okay, Anna."

The princess was scared, that much she could easily tell from body language alone. Though the feeling was rolling down their mental link in waves and Elsa had to hold her mind back to keep from being overpowered by it. Anna looked into her eyes, searching for something, though the older woman had no idea what.

Suddenly a clear thought rang through the chaos in her younger sister's mind. Elsa grimaced, knowing what that thought was before Anna even asked it. "Is this what happened when you were younger? You just couldn't control it? It just...came out like that?"

Elsa closed her eyes and nodded sadly.

"Oh, _Elsa_..."

The queen rubbed the younger woman's back and comforted her the best she could, sending as much love as she could bring to bear spiraling down their bond. It didn't seem to faze Anna.

The younger woman spoke softly. "High emotions bring it out?"

Elsa nodded. Anna continued, "I'll...I'll do my best to keep it in, then. I'm not sure if I...oh hells, Elsa. I'm so sorry."

Tears were in the younger woman's eyes. Elsa turned her sister to face her and laid her hand on the younger woman's cheek, forcing the princess to look up. Anna stared up into bright blue eyes, almost taken aback by the conviction held in them.

Elsa spoke a single word, softly. "No."

Anna's mouth quivered as though she was going to say something, but she shut her lips tight. A few tears dropped from her eyes. Her older sister's thumbs wiped them away, and Elsa continued, "You do _not_ need to try and keep it in. I can help you. Don't try and shut off your emotions. Believe me," a wry laugh, "It doesn't work."

Anna took a deep breath and stood taller. She let out the barest of smiles. Elsa nodded happily and grinned down at her sister. "It'll be okay. I promise."

Anna returned the nod, her smile becoming genuine. Elsa kissed her sister on the forehead and released the woman, turning towards the dock. Their cousin was talking to the captain, but the handsome, dark haired man standing next to her was looking in Elsa and Anna's direction. She put on a polite smile and nodded at the man.

He nodded back, a small grin lighting his face, then turned back to the conversation between the captain and his wife. After a few moments, the three of them turned and walked towards the gangplank.

As they got closer to the ship, Elsa noticed Anna began happily rolling back and forth along the balls of her feet, doing her best to keep her emotions in. The queen held the powers in check, and sent her sister a feeling of pure reassurance. Anna smiled brightly at her sister, then turned and let out a little wave at her cousin. Rapunzel's face lit up. The princess looked up at her older sister, pleading with her eyes. Elsa laughed lightly and nodded.

Anna's smile widened, and she flew down the gangplank, rushing at the two royals and the captain. She bounded straight into the dark haired girl and the two hugged tightly.

Rapunzel was practically glowing. "Anna! It's been way too long!"

The Arendellan woman beamed right back. "It has! We're so glad to be here! Well, not that we're glad about the treaty issue, because that's kinda crazy and I really don't know why there's any issues with it, but we're so glad that we get to see you guys and we really need to talk, cause it's been an insane few years and I have so much to tell you!"

Eugene's eyes were wide, but Elsa just let out of laugh as she walked calmly towards the small group. Anna took a deep breath and was about to start talking again when Elsa reached her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Queen Elsa!" Rapunzel reached toward the woman and they shared a small hug. Elsa laughed. "Oh, don't you start with the honorifics. We're family here, none of that!"

The dark haired man next to Rapunzel smiled. "Sorry to break this up, but we should probably get up to the castle. It's not safe to be out here."

The captain, having been silent up to that point, nodded eagerly. "I've had my men on lookout since we've docked, so I'll be escorting you myself on horseback. I need to give my report to his Majesty."

Eugene nodded. "We actually have a carriage a bit up the road. If everyone would follow me?"

They all made it to the nondescript carriage and climbed in. The ride wasn't very long, but Rapunzel and Anna spent the entire ride talking about anything and everything. The weather, crops, the festival...especially the festival. Anna's exuberance was palpable. Rapunzel explained the traditions behind the celebration and Anna fed into every word, clearly interested.

Elsa and Eugene spent the ride mostly rolling their eyes at the two and sharing knowing looks at the other two women's antics.

Anna could feel the amusement from her sister, and spent a split second to throw her a look. Elsa only laughed. They reached a stop and their vehicle's door was opened by Rasmus, who beckoned them out. They were ushered into the courtyard where the King and the Queen of Corona were there to meet them.

As they grew closer, the queen immediately brought the two sisters into a hug. She released them but kept her hands on their shoulders, looking worriedly at them. "I only heard bit of what happened on your way here! Are you two okay?" She gasped. "Anna, your hair!"

The princess of Arendelle grinned and swept the new white streak behind her ears self-consciously. "I missed the old look, you know how it goes..."

Elsa tried her best to put on a reassuring smile. "It's okay Primrose, we're both fine except for some bruises. The Arendellan house just seems to have bad luck with sailing, is all."

The Coronan Queen gave Elsa a sad smile. "I'm just glad you dears are okay. If something happened I would never be able to forgive myself!"

The sisters looked like they were about to reply with reassurances, but the King interrupted. He had made his way to his daughter's side and was grinning at the family reunion. "It's okay, dear. Lets get them to the healers, just to make sure. It's getting cold out here, and it's not good for any of us."

"It's not too bad," Anna and Elsa both chimed in unison.

Once they realized they had spoken at the same time, Anna let out a giggle, and Elsa managed a small smile. Rapunzel laughed. "Well, not all of us are used to constant foul weather. I'm _freezing_! So lets get inside!"

They all made their way to the main hall, with Rapunzel, Anna, and Queen Primrose taking the lead. The three were chatting about different dresses that they would be wearing to the winter festival, and Anna was asking about the local fashions so she could restock the wardrobe that she had lost on the sunken ship.

Eugene and Captain Rasmus took up the rear, watching over the party, with Elsa walking with the king in the center. He was talking animatedly at her and explaining the specifics of the treaty revision. "Well, the summit's actually been set back another week and a half. Half of the dignitaries haven't even reached Coronan waters yet. Most are a week from shore. These storms have just been killer, though it seems to have calmed enough for the time being..."

Elsa nodded. "That makes sense. I hate to be away from home for so long, but there's nothing that can be done for that." She grinned, "Now, about the treaty...what's going on with the revisions? What could possibly be causing an issue?"

King Thomas halfheartedly shrugged. "Well, the Southern Isles are looking to forcibly commit the larger kingdoms to agree to a new trade treaty, as they think the current situation is... less than fair."

Elsa couldn't help but scoff. "They're that desperate?"

The king nodded solemnly. "Unfortunately so. They're actually on the brink of a civil uprising, believe it or not. After you renegotiated your new agreement years ago, they've had issues bargaining with the other kingdoms. I'm not sure if you were made aware, but we renegotiated as well."

Elsa's eyebrows shot up. Thomas smiled at her. "It was actually rather fortuitous for Corona. We ah...used the situation to our advantage."

The Arendellan queen said nothing, raising an eyebrow. He continued, "We sent their king a rather angry letter admonishing their son for trying to usurp my _niece's_ throne, and telling them that we were severely disappointed to the point of cutting off all trade."

Elsa gasped. "Are you serious?"

Thomas laughed. "About the letter? Oh yes. Cutting off trade? No. It was mostly posturing. Though that boy did a _lot_ of unneeded damage to Arendelle, and we were going to find a way to support you regardless. But that letter worked!"

Elsa had to cover her mouth to stop from laughing, and she heard a chuckle in her mind. She hadn't realized Anna had been paying attention the the conversation, but when she looked up at the redhead, the younger woman winked at her slyly before returning to the conversation with their cousin and aunt.

Elsa continued on like she _hadn't_ just been communicating her emotions mentally with her sister. "So, the terms were favorable, then?"

The king laughed a deep, belly laugh. "I'll say. Our kingdoms ended up hurting them desperately, though that wasn't actually part of our intentions. A few other kingdoms managed to cash in on the issue as well. We both seem to have great reputations. It seems the other kingdoms don't enjoy seeing them tarnished."

"Or they just really enjoy increased revenue."

"Who doesn't?!"

The two shared a laugh. "Just between the two of us...watch out for yourself during this summit. From what I've heard, their king seems to blame Arendelle for their son's behavior, and they have a pretty nasty streak. We'll do out best to protect you and Anna, but we both know guards can't be everywhere at once."

Elsa sighed, slightly frustrated at the thought of having to be on her toes constantly. She nodded. "I've noticed how nasty they are, believe me. And I can definitely watch out for myself." The woman smirked, "Though I can't see how they can possibly blame _us_ for their son trying to usurp my throne. That doesn't make any sense."

The king nodded, "Well, of course they never make any s-"

He was interrupted by his wife talking back to them from the front of the group "-dear! We're here. Stop talking poor Elsa's ear off. We have weeks to discuss business, and she's been through a lot in that last few days. Leave her be, love."

The king smiled a bit timidly and bowed at Elsa, apologizing. Elsa just smiled. "It's okay, really. I'm fine."

As soon as she said it, she grimaced internally. The cuts and scrapes she received were just starting to set in with actual pain, and she realized that she desperately wanted a bath and sleep. Anna sent her a rush of compassion to ease her mind, and Elsa smiled internally back through their link. She knew the princess was feeling the pain just as much as badly she was.

The queen must have seen through Elsa's remarks because she smiled warmly and pushed them into the healer's chambers. As they were leaving, Rapunzel turned back towards them. "I'll have someone come by to show you guy's to your rooms in a bit – mother put you two in the family suites. Dinner's at six. I'm sure you guys are tired, but feel free to come down to the great hall whenever, I'd love to chat with you two more when you're feeling better!"

The two Arendellan women expressed their gratitude, and Eugene grabbed Rapunzel by the arm, practically dragging her out. The two were laughing and joking as they walked away and could be heard from halfway to the main hall. Anna giggled.

The two were given a cursory once-over by the healers and some ointment to help with the pain, then were given the okay to leave. They were shown to their rooms, and the sisters were enthralled to find out that the suites they had been assigned were connected via a large, luxurious bathroom.

Anna giggled at her sister. _'Well, that saves us some sneaking around, at least.'_

The princess could feel the satisfaction radiating from her queen and her giggle turned into an outright laugh. Elsa found the laughter infectious and began giggling as well. Once they calmed down, the older woman stretched and grimaced as her muscles pulled painfully. Anna made a face as well, feeling the pain through the link.

A sudden thought came to the red haired princess and she smirked. _'I think I need a bath, love.'_

Elsa met her sister's gaze with a mischievous grin of her own. _'Oh? I'm assuming you need some help?'_

Anna sent Elsa a mocking grin, teasing, _'As if you have a choice.' _

The look the princess sent to her sister was almost predatory, and Elsa shivered at the scrutiny. Anna hummed happily at the reaction. She put her hand on the small of the queen's back and led her into the bathroom.

The door closed with a _click_, and the two didn't emerge again until the water had run cold.


	7. Family

**A/N: A short one this time, I'm sorry. It's been a weird week. This chapter is mostly just fluff. I need fluff in my life right now. Gonna steer away from the smut for a bit, I think everyone's had their fill of that, right? (Hah!) Anyways, I realized while writing this that I had no idea how I wanted to characterize the Coronan royal family, so I just kinda decided to...wing it. I don't know if I like the way it turned out, but oh well. Also, Eugene is hard as hell for me to write for, and it's weird. I can usually do sarcasm pretty well, but I dunno.**

**I hope I didn't flub it too much. Next chapter we'll get back into the action. :)**

* * *

"_Both within the family and without, our sisters hold up our mirrors: our images of who we are and of who we can dare to be."_ -Elizabeth Fishel

* * *

Dinner was going better than expected.

The two sisters had only been able to visit the royals in Corona a handful of times since Elsa's coronation, and it was definitely nice to be able to have a family dinner again.

Elsa ended up sitting next to Eugene, and she found the man fascinating. Elsa hadn't ever spent much time with the man, so she did her best to try and get to know him. She wound up asking him for the story of how he met Rapunzel, knowing that the princess had a rather tragic upbringing, and he was more than happy to oblige. Of course, he embellished every small detail and Rapunzel ended up telling the bulk of it.

Elsa laughed when she learned that he was a former criminal, and he made a face at her.

"Really, laughing? That's harsh! I'll have you know I was a very accomplished thief!"

Rapunzel giggled at him and interjected. "It's true, he stole my crown once." Her expression contorted as a sudden thought came to her, and her husband laughed at the face she made. "Well, it wasn't really _mine_ at the time, since I was living in a tower in the forest when he took it, but I mean, _technically_ it belonged to me even though I wasn't there, and-"

King Thomas chuckled and interrupted the woman. "You're rambling, dear."

Eugene continued, "Anyway, before I was _interrupted_," He picked up his wife's hand and kissed her knuckles, smiling, "I was a wanted man before this beautiful woman showed me the error of my ways. Besides, it got really annoying being hunted down."

Elsa smirked. "I completely understand. It's not a fun experience."

He raised an eyebrow, his eyes laughing. "Being hunted by men who want to marry you is a bit different from being hunted for your life, your Majesty."

Anna giggled from across the table. "Oh, she's well aware. Have we never told you all the full story of Elsa's coronation?"

The queen of Corona let out an uncomfortable laugh. "Well, we've heard about twenty different versions of it over the years, dear. All we got were rumors, really. I've always wanted to ask, but I thought it would seem rude..."

Anna practically bounced in her seat and looked to her sister. "Can I tell it?"

The emotion Anna received through their link was one of amused resignation. "Fine, but don't make me out to be too much of a bad guy."

The younger sister rolled her eyes, but sent a mental hug to Elsa. "You were never the bad guy!"

"Definitely not, I just froze over our entire kingdom because I'm the nicest queen ever."

It Anna didn't know her sister, it might have seemed that the older woman was mocking her, but she knew that Elsa still felt entirely guilty for everything that had happened. She could feel Elsa trying to hide her shame with sarcasm, and Anna just frowned sadly.

"You are. The whole thing was an accident and we both know it."

The queen of Arendelle was about to reply with more sarcasm, but was stopped by a hand on her arm. She looked up at Eugene. His amused look had never left his face, but there was sympathy hiding behind his smile. He grinned at her, "Hey, it's okay. Let Anna tell the story, we won't judge you. Just look at me! I married into this bunch, and I got a free pass. You were born into this family, they'll let whole lot more slide before criticizing you!"

Elsa was utterly nonplussed and gave the man a strange look. His grin grew wider. "Besides, even if you're some crazy murdering psychopath, you're _our_ crazy murdering psychopath. We forgive you!"

Anna and Rapunzel erupted into a fit of giggles. Elsa just sighed loudly and ran her hand through her hair, but a tiny smile graced her lips. "Well, that's encouraging. I guess..."

The King and Queen of Corona said nothing, but Thomas was laughing to himself while Primrose was politely hiding a smile behind her hand. They were used to this sort of behavior from their daughter's husband.

The dark haired man turned back to Anna. "Now, milady. If you'll start the the beginning...?"

The redhead immediately launched into the story, talking animatedly. Elsa sat back, admiring the way the woman told her story. Her younger sister talked with her hands, and was energetic in every way she moved. She was slightly worried that Anna would pull on Elsa's powers while she spoke, but the older woman kept a lock down on the flow of magic.

It turned out she really didn't need to. Anna was utterly comfortable with herself and the rest of their family. Elsa was thrilled to see that her younger sister could still continue to be herself even with such a large threat looming over her head. Then again, she wasn't too surprised. Her younger sibling was full of affection for her family and everyone around her. _'I guess it really is true that love will thaw..."_

Anna paused in her story and looked to her sister, confused. Elsa was taken aback for a moment when she realized that the princess had caught her wayward thought. She gave the younger girl a sheepish grin, and Anna's eyes shone. Her younger sister raised a single eyebrow in amusement, then took up her story again like nothing had happened.

The others at the table looked momentarily confused at the interaction between the two sisters, but became quickly immersed in Anna's retelling of the story. Elsa shook her head, trying to quiet her thoughts. It was too easy to forget that the two could hear each other mentally, and she admonished herself for being so forgetful.

Anna never ceased her talking, but Elsa could feel her sister send a sensation of love and confidence through their link. Elsa sent it right back to the younger woman, admiring how completely at ease Anna was at being the center of attention. She adored the woman, and took the time to look her up and down. Staring at her curves and delighting in the way Anna simply carried herself.

Her princess was beautiful, and Elsa would never tire of looking at her.

Anna could feel her queen's emotions as Elsa ogled her, and she blushed. She knew her sister could tell how she was reacting to the staring, and it only caused Elsa to continue eyeballing her up and down. Without missing a beat in her retelling, she sent a small mocking glare at her older sister.

Elsa only smirked, but she toned it down, preferring to sit back and enjoy the rest of Anna's narrative.

After the story was over and her sister was done astonishing everyone with the climactic ending and her heroics, Eugene smiled and slung his arm over Elsa's shoulders, laughing. Elsa flinched at the contact slightly, but grinned at the older man. He shook a bit with his laughter, "See, there's nothing to be ashamed of! You didn't kill anyone at all!"

Elsa grimaced. "Well there was some people who got frostbite, and most of our crops were ruined that year, and-"

"-but you didn't even _murder_ anyone! You're perfectly nice!"

"I'm pretty sure your definition of _nice_ is messed up if all it takes is for me to not murder people."

The man beamed. "Nah, you just gotta get to know people, is all!"

Rapunzel hugged the man's arm and laughed at his unwavering optimism. Elsa was pretty sure Anna found a new hero. She sent her younger sister a look, and Anna grinned back. _'He's got a point, you know!'_

Elsa groaned and turned back to her food, but she couldn't seem to wipe away the pleased smile that appeared on her face.

* * *

She woke up the next morning to the sun in her face. It was way too warm.

Elsa shucked off the covers and concentrated a bit, bringing the temperature down a few degrees. She grinned and stood up from the bed, stretching. Walking softly, she padded across the room and into the bathroom. She walked through the large tiled room and slipped into her sister's room, where she found the redhead sleeping soundly, bundled in an ocean of comforters.

Chuckling lightly to herself, Elsa made her way over to the younger woman's bed and climbed in, sitting with her back resting against the headboard. She was sitting on the pillow Anna was using, but the woman didn't stir at all. In fact, Elsa could barely make out her sister in the mess of pillows and blankets piled on top of her.

Elsa reached under the covers and began rubbing Anna's back lightly. She ran her fingers down the young woman's side, feeling the small lines of fresh scars. She knew her own body reflected the same white patterns, and she traced them lovingly. The redhead, reacting to the touch, groaned and tried to bury herself further into her cocoon. The ice queen laughed. "It's time to get up, blob monster. We've got stuff to do today."

She could feel her sister's thoughts slowly begin to coalesce. It was mostly just a hazy sleepiness tinged with annoyance at having to wake up. Elsa heard a grumble of what she _thought_ might have been words from deep in the blankets, but she had no idea what the vague sounds were trying to convey.

Her hand stopped it's motion on Anna's back. "Say again, love?"

Another mumbling, louder this time but no more distinct. Elsa shook her head. "I have no idea what you're saying."

She could feel her sister struggle to put words together in her mind, and she grinned at how ridiculous the situation was. She continued, laughing, "You're going to have to speak up if you want me to understand you."

Anna decided that speech was much too complicated and gave up trying to use her vocal cords. _'Ughh...what time is it?'_

Elsa grinned, amused at her sister's antics. "Just after dawn. The sun's awake, so _I'm_ awake."

Anna scoffed, though not out loud. Elsa could feel the indignation through their shared link. _'That only works for the aurora and you know, it. Cheater.'_

"Just think of it as payback for constantly waking me up in the middle of the night when we were kids." She resumed rubbing the younger woman's back, and she could feel the contentedness rolling off of her sister in waves.

Anna yawned. _'That's gonna put me right back to sleep you know.'_

"Doubtful. I'm going to keep bothering you until you wake up."

She groaned. _'Well then you get to be here all morning. I'm comfy.'_

The princess rolled over with the blanket, covering Elsa's legs with the comforter. She attached herself to her older sister's leg and used it as a pillow, wrapping herself around the limb as much as possible. Elsa took up running her hand through Anna's hair, as it was easier to reach.

Anna hummed happily and Elsa sighed. "It's way too warm under all these covers, I don't know how you can stand it."

The younger woman shrugged slightly, then said something unintelligible against the older woman's leg. Elsa's confusion trickled down their link, and the princess tried again without words. _'You can regulate the temperature, just fix it.'_

"Then you won't be warm."

_'It's too hot anyways.'_

Elsa's hand stopped it's ministrations andlooked down at her younger sister. "Then why are you wrapping yourself up like a caterpillar?"

Another small shrug._ 'Comfy.' _

Elsa raised an eyebrow, and although her sister couldn't see it, she felt the emotion behind it. Elsa knew there was something the younger woman wasn't saying. Anna frowned, then sighed once she followed her sister's thought process, knowing she couldn't hide anything. _'Missed you.'_

Elsa ran her thumb along Anna's cheek, noticing the slight pink tinge. She could feel her sister's bashfulness clear as day. She sent encouragement to the younger woman. "Why are you embarrassed that you missed me?"

Yet another shrug, and her leg was grasped a little tighter. Elsa tried to be as comforting as she could. "I missed you too, you know."

And it was true. They had both decided it was a better idea to sleep in separate beds while they were visiting Corona, at least until they were able to figure out the maid's schedules. They would be fine if the room servants were to walk in on them cuddling, but anything _else_ and they would scar that person for life. That, and they'd probably both be tried and hung for being heathens if that person decided they wanted to tell the royal family their secret. It was best not to take any chances in a place they were unfamiliar with.

Though as logical as the decision was, it didn't make either of them feel any better about the situation. They knew they would have to be separated for most of the trip, but it was a hard truth to live with. Their new bond didn't make things any easier. Elsa knew exactly how lonely Anna had felt the night before, because she had felt the same way.

Anna sighed softly and tried to push the negative feelings to the back of her mind. She felt marginally better when she felt Elsa try to do the same. A thought struck her. _'Why are you waking me up so early? We don't have any plans until just before noon.'_

Elsa smiled. "Time for practice."

She felt Anna's eyebrows furrow against her leg, and her sister's confusion was palpable. _'Practice? But why would you need me to practice your pow...Oh."_

Elsa nodded. "We need to see what you're capable of, dear one."

She abruptly felt a stab of fear come from the younger woman, and she had to cut off Anna's access to her powers before they were able to manifest. The temperature still dropped a few degrees before she was able to get a hold on it. Anna looked sheepish, but she was still largely worried. Elsa gave her a warm grin.

The princess burrowed her head into Elsa's leg. _'Are you sure?'_

The queen laughed out loud. "I'm positive."

She pulled her leg out of her sister's grasp, and motioned for Anna to sit up. The younger woman did so, and Elsa took her into her arms, kissing to top of her head lightly. The princess ducked her head under her older sister's chin and curled in on herself, pressing as close to Elsa as she could.

She didn't dare try and speak out loud. She knew her voice would shake. _'I'm scared.'_

Elsa smiled lovingly down at the younger woman. _'You have nothing to be worried about. I'll be with you the whole time. I have more than enough control and can stop anything you manage throw at me.'_

Anna's mouth quirked into a small frown. _'But what if something happens to you?'_

Elsa ran her hand down her sister's stray strand of white hair and tucked it behind Anna's ear. She spoke out loud, "You can't hurt me with my own power, love."

Anna grumbled into her sister's shoulder. Elsa laughed lightly and pulled the younger woman's chin up so they were eye to eye. She smiled brightly. "It will be okay. Nothing bad will happen."

Anna managed a small smile. "Promise?"

Elsa's eyes lit up. "I promise."

She brought her sister's lips to her own softly, and Anna sighed happily. She pulled back after a few moments, grinning. "Time to get going."

The princess nodded and released her hold on her older sister, stretching. Elsa immediately missed the contact, but Anna sent a rush of affection down their link. The queen returned the emotion, smiling down at the younger woman. Her sister shoved her slightly after she was done stretching.

"Go get dressed, Elsa. I can manage on my own!"

She playfully shoved the younger woman back, but took the advice and jumped out of bed before Anna could retaliate. Smiling brightly, she walked towards the door that connected to her own room. She heard her younger sister blow a raspberry at her from across the room, but chose to ignore it.

Elsa couldn't help her inner chuckle, and she knew Anna returned the sentiment.

Not a bad start to the day, all things considered.


	8. Practice

**A/N:** I know this is short, and I'm really really sorry. For those who follow r/Elsanna, you probably know that I've had a crazy few weeks. Long story short, my old job was making me depressed and causing a whole lot of shit in my life. So I hunted for new work like crazy. Found a new job, and I'm going through training. The training is hellish and the work is tough, but it's so much more fulfilling and there's no more freakin _drama_. Sigh. Anyways, updates should be more normal from here on out, now that my training is almost over.

This chapter was supposed to be three times as long, but I felt like I owed it to you guys to get something out. I'm still working on it, but I'm hoping you guys enjoy this much at least.

Many thanks to my reviewers. You keep me happy, something I've needed a whole lot lately. And super duper special thanks to Neiromaru, whose little pokes and prods reminded me to get my ass in gear and keep writing. _/hearts_

* * *

_"Don't only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets; art deserves that, for it and knowledge can raise man to the Divine."_ Ludwig van Beethoven

* * *

The air on the lake was cold. For some reason, Elsa wanted to practice on the water, and Anna wasn't convinced it was actually a sane idea. After the ship incident, being around water was nerve-wracking. She knew she had to face her fears, but wasn't this too _soon_?

"Calm down, Anna."

The princess gave a small harumph. Elsa was pretty sure she could feel the younger woman's glare boring a small hole into her.

"It's like ice skating. It won't come all at once."

Anna folded her arms in front of her chest. "I can barely form an ice blob."

Elsa grinned. _'On purpose, at least.'_

Anna scowled. "I heard that!"

The queen laughed out loud and walked up to the princess. She pushed a stray hair behind the younger woman's ear, then cupped her cheek. Anna's frown didn't lighten much, but she willingly leaned into the touch.

The princess huffed in frustration. "We've been practicing for five days straight. I feel like I'm getting no where."

Elsa smiled softly and moved her arms down to her sister's waist, pulling her into a loose hug. "I've been practicing for twenty-five _years_. It takes time."

She pressed a kiss to Anna's forehead, then pulled back to look her in the eye. "Besides, your control is fantastic. You don't seem to have any issues with that."

The princess shrugged. "I love you."

She stated the words like they explained everything. In a way, they actually did. She had the encouragement and support of the person she loved most in the world, not to mention the best teacher possible for the process. She was in safe hands.

Elsa sent a wordless reply, pouring every ounce of affection she felt for her sister down through their link. They shared a small kiss and Anna pulled back smiling, her frustration dissipated.

"Okay. Lets try again."

Elsa nodded. "I want to test the limits of the control we have. I want to see how much I can block from you, and vice versa."

Anna nodded and Elsa grinned down at her. "Just take small sips, okay? Hold it in. Don't release it unless it gets to be too much."

The princess took a deep breath and expelled it slowly. She had to release her mind into their shared link to pull at the power. It was very much still connected to Elsa. Without her sister, she wouldn't be able to use the power. A thought suddenly came to her. Did it have a range? If they were too far apart would it still work?

_'Concentrate.'_ Elsa admonished. Anna complied, but she knew her sister had followed her train of thought. She could feel Elsa putting the idea aside for later, as something to come back to.

The two had been testing the ins and outs of their link during every moment they could get. Anna was fascinated. She had always loved her sister's magic. She was well aware of the danger, but was eager to push it to its limits to see what she could do. Elsa, ever the practical one, found herself having to constantly remind the younger woman of the damage she could cause if she wasn't careful.

They had found so far that Anna was not able to pull as much power as much as Elsa could. Her older sister was able to open the floodgates and have it pour out of her in waves, and she would shape the magic as it left her. Anna was able to hold onto much, _much_ more power in her body, but had a harder time accessing it.

The amount of time it took to fill Anna to capacity was enough time for Elsa to have summoned and used ten times the amount the younger woman could hold onto.

The queen found it strange, but wasn't going to question it.

As Anna began pulling on the power down their link. Elsa tried to pull it back. She was mostly successful. Anna's will was incredibly strong. Still, she managed to flow it to a trickle, and her younger sister rolled her eyes.

Anna stopped holding it in and let the small amount of power dibble into her hand, manifesting itself. She controlled it firmly, making the ice form a small circle in her palm. She held the image in her mind and forced it to stabilize. Once the circle was perfect, she flattened it out slightly, so it was more ring-shaped.

Anna smiled down at her creation. It was a perfectly circular. She stopped the flow of power, then began letting it out again, an even smaller amount than before. It was just enough to manifest in the physical world, and it was more mist than ice. She ran her finger along the band, dusting it and laying down a pattern. She styled it in the shape of the Arendellan crest, a crocus blooming with small waves around the band it in a stylized fashion.

Anna held the magic together in her palm. She didn't want to release it, she loved the way it had turned out. The princess sighed out loud, disappointed.

A soft voice entered her mind. _'Tie it off.'_

_'I don't know how.'_

Elsa cupped her palms around her sister's hand. _'I'll show you.'_

The older woman grabbed onto Anna's tiny threads of power. She used her will to manipulate the magic, attempting to make the ice self-sustaining. It was like literally tying a mental knot, and willing the power to follow in different directions all at once. Elsa tried it multiple times, but kept losing track of the process. It was too delicate.

Anna mentally followed what Elsa was trying to do. After her older sister's third failed attempt, she took over. Elsa backed off, and observed Anna. She tried her best to guild the woman mentally. It was much easier to track when she could view it objectively.

Finally, it was finished. Both sisters broke off their concentration and looked down at the ring. Anna smiled happily. Elsa's eyebrows were raised in admiration and a little bit of disbelief.

The younger sister bumped her shoulder against Elsa's. "Pretty good, eh?"

Elsa nodded emphatically. "I'll say. That's some delicate work. I've never been able to tie off a knot that small."

Anna grinned wryly. "It's easy to control when I'm only getting a tiny bit of power from you like that."

The queen returned the grin, gesturing to the ring. "I'm definitely not able to make anything like that. I think you'll be a lot better suited to finer work. I've been training you all wrong."

Anna sighed at the thought of more training, and her sister laughed at her.

The princess's eyes grew devious, a thought coming to her. Elsa understood the implications of her sister's thought process much too late, and before she could stop the younger woman, Anna grabbed Elsa's right hand. She slipped the ring over the woman's middle finger, and it fit perfectly.

The queen looked down at the hand and groaned, but it turned into a laugh. Anna was ridiculous, and she told her so.

Her younger sister just smirked and pulled Elsa into a tight hug, molding herself into the older woman's side with her arms around her waist. Her head fit perfectly in the crook of Elsa's neck, and she sat there for a moment, content. Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna's shoulders and leaned into the younger girl.

They needed to get back to the castle, but for a little while they just stood together, enjoying the embrace. The two thought they would have more time together during the day, but they were constantly in meetings and dealing with endless political nonsense.

King Thomas had taken to stealing Elsa and begging her for her secrets with accounting. Corona was a very wealthy kingdom, and actually took in more money than Arendelle, but the king was frustrated by their expenses. The surplus the kingdom had was small compared to their colder sister kingdom, and Elsa promised to help go over the books. Anna went to a few of the meetings and put in some useful input... at first. She quickly got bored. Elsa was always better with numbers, anyways.

Anna found herself spending most of her days in the Army's training and recruiting center on the castle grounds, learning from the Coronan arms master. The younger woman had almost been laughed out of the courtyard when she first showed up in the practice square. While all the men were busy laughing at her training garb, she found what looked to be the most menacing and angry man there and challenged him to a duel.

He accepted it, laughing. She proceeded to trounce him thoroughly. Afterwards, the best fighters the army had to offer asked for their own duels. Her win ratio wasn't great, she only beat a little over half of the men she fought, but it was enough to prove herself and earn an honorary spot in their ranks. She was quickly adapting to their new fighting style, and she wanted to have all of the basics mastered by the time she left for home.

The lessons she had every morning with Elsa were definitely helping with her fighting skills. Her focus was more intense, and her profound concentration from their dawn sessions bled into the afternoon bouts with the Coronan soldiers. It was definitely an improvement.

Elsa was the one to break the embrace first. She ran a cool finger down her younger sister's face tenderly. "You're daydreaming, love."

Anna blinked a few times, pulling her thoughts back into the present. She grinned at the queen in front of her, then drew the woman's lips down in a small kiss. She then broke it, grin still plastered on her face. "We should probably sneak back up to the castle."

Elsa nodded and took her sister's hand, leading her across the water. Small islands of ice formed under both of their feet as they walked.

Anna yawned. The sun had only come up an hour before, and it was still early. A thought came to her. "You think more dignitaries will be at breakfast this morning?"

Elsa nodded. "I think so. There was a ship just outside the harbor this morning that I didn't recognize. They might be bringing the crews in at night. It makes more sense that way."

The princess winced. "Assassin still running rampant?"

Elsa arched an eyebrow at her sister. "I thought you were keeping track of the articles coming out. The news is all over the city."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Too busy. I've got sword fighting and magic and Arendelle stuff to deal with. I can't handle another kingdom's problems on top of all that."

The queen stopped and turned toward Anna, letting go of the younger woman's hand and crossing her arms across her chest. Anna's eyes followed her sister's arms and stayed at chest level, a grin on her face. A sharp surge of admonishment fell through their link and Anna sighed.

She wilted under Elsa's glare. _'I'm sorry.'_

Elsa said nothing and raised an eyebrow. Anna sighed. Loudly.

_'I'm not sorry for looking at your chest. Good luck getting me to feel bad about that.'_

Elsa voice was tinged with annoyance. "Anna..."

The younger woman grabbed her sister's hands, pulling them down and holding them in her own. _'I'm not trying to shirk my duties, I'm really not.'_ She let Elsa feel some of the worry she had been hiding. _'I'm just a little freaked out by this whole thing, okay? It's still so new to me.' _

The queen's annoyance faded completely, though she did chide her sister mentally. Not harshly, it was tinged with a bit of regret. _'You don't need to keep things from me, Anna.'_

The younger woman's chin fell, and she refused to meet Elsa's eyes. _'I know. It's just...I don't know. Everything's been turned upside down. I'll be fine, I'm just getting used to it.'_

Elsa pulled on the hands that were holding her own and embraced her sister again, kissing her forehead lightly. "I love you."

Anna smiled up at her sister, the worry gone for the moment. "I know." She sent a tinge of affection down their link, "I love you too."

Elsa began walking again, making her way to an abandoned part of the shore near the mountain the castle was situated against. They made their way to the rock wall in outward silence. As Elsa began creating frozen steps in the cliff face, Anna broke their quiet. _'So, the assassin?'_

Elsa sighed. _'There's been three more deaths this week.'_

Anna's eyebrows shot up. _'Who?'_

Elsa's facial expression clearly showed how upset she was. _'None of high-ranking lords. Just a servant, and two members of a duke's extended family. They were some of the bunch that weren't staying in the castle. They were killed in their rooms. Stabbed in their sleep.'_

Anna shuddered. _'Why wouldn't they be in the castle?'_

Elsa shrugged. _'My understanding is that some of the mid-ranking royals from other kingdoms decided to come along to the summit as well, and are staying at inns in the city. They don't have enough political clout to stay in the castle.'_

The two began making their way up the steps, trying their best to stay out of sight. Elsa kept up the magic without a second thought, creating a staircase for the two of them.

The princess's eyebrows furrowed. _'Everyone who came with us is in the guest wing of the castle.'_

Anna stumbled slightly and Elsa caught her arm, steadying the younger woman. The older woman smiled down at her sister. _'We're family. Plus, some of the other kingdoms brought three or four ships full of people. It's ridiculous. We're not taking up that much room. All things considered, we're not much of a burden.'_

Anna grimaced at the thought of an influx of so many people. _'They're here to mingle with the other royal families, I assume?'_

Elsa nodded. _'Lots of important people will be here this week. It makes sense that people would want to take advantage of the ordeal.'_

Anna sighed. _'Some more than others, I guess.'_

The queen frowned sadly. _'Thomas is doing all he can to stop it. He's doubled the guards and ordered all foreigners to the castle, so they don't have to stay at inns. Hopefully most will listen. It's causing a strain though.'_

Anna sighed, her breath misting in the frigid morning air. _'I'd imagine.' _Her eyes narrowed. _'I'm assuming this whole assassin thing is why we're sneaking in and out of the castle like criminals?'_

The queen chuckled. _'You could say that. Thomas had it ordered that no one is allowed out of the castle until the killer is apprehended.' _

The younger woman grimaced. _'He's going to have a hell of a time enforcing that. We're not exactly helping.'_

She felt a ripple of agreement from her sister, but they both knew they couldn't stop. Anna needed the practice.

The two reached the window of Elsa's room, and the queen opened it. She stepped back, motioning for her sister to climb inside. Once the younger woman was in the room safely she turned to follow, but a flash of familiar brown hair on the roof of a tower made her halt in place. She stared across the expanse, and the man waved, then disappeared around a corner. Confusion rolled over her, but it wasn't her own.

"Elsa?"

She shook herself, then turned toward her sister. Anna looked up at her, worried. "You okay?"

The queen smiled, pushing the thought out of her mind, concentrating on the woman in front of her.

"I'm fine, love." She sent a wave of reassurance to her younger sister, and the woman visibly relaxed. She closed the window behind her, her eyes scaling over the walls. What the hell was Eugene up to?

Anna took her hand, guiding her down from the window seat. Her sister smiled at her, and nothing else mattered. "Breakfast, Elsa?"

She nodded and Anna let her out of the room, hand on the small of her back.


End file.
